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WARREN P. WARD 





Ward’s History 
of Coffee County 




y fajiAJUt ? 


A story dealing with the past and 
present of Coffee County. Beginning 
with the early settlers about the year 
1800,—discussing the Creek Indians 
and the Pioneers. Leading up to the 
creation of Coffee County in 1854 
—Old families, old schools and 
churches, showing the conditions dur¬ 
ing the Civil War and ending up with 
the spirit of progress, which is evident 
in better schools, and a more intelli¬ 
gent civilization. Showing that Coffee 
County, in South Georgia, is God’s 
Country and a good place to live in 
the year 1930. 





0 




COPYRIGHT, 1930 
BY 

WARREN P. WARD 


6 

Cooy 





4jr 


PRESS OF FOOTE 8c DAVIES CO., ATLANTA 









Dedication 


This book is dedicated to the memory of: 

The Creek Indians: who occupied this territory and 
preserved it till the coming of the early settlers; 

To the Pioneers: who cut the first logs and built 
the first houses, who split the first rails and fenced 
the first fields; 

To the Old School Teachers: who wore cotton 
breeches and taught our children how to read and 
write in log huts; 

To the Old Preachers: who preached the old time 
Gospel and sang the old time songs; 

And to everyone, who has in any way helped to make 
Coffee County a good place in which to live. 

The Author. 


Ill 


Contents 


Page 

Dedication.Ill 

Preface.XIII 

An Ideal Wedding.144 

Atkinson County Creation.13 

Automobiles.244 

Banking Business.233 

Big Court, October Term.118 

Big Four.230 

Billy Bow-Legs.34 

Boll Weevil.248 

Boy Scout Movement.239 

Bright Leaf Tobacco.241 

Camp Meetings. 201 

Carding Machine.185 

Catching Fish.190 

Coffee County, 1930 . 293 

Coffee County In War.135 

Coffee County Officers, 1854 . 343 

Confederate Soldiers Who Went to War from 

Coffee County.331 

Constitution and the Flag.147 

Cotton Picking Time In Georgia.246 

Creek Indians.24 

Doctors.245 

Doctors and Medicine.93 

Douglas Cemetery.277 

Douglas, Dunk ..90 

Douglas, the Capital City of Coffee County . . 297 

Early History of Coffee County.20 

Early Steamboat Navigation on the Ocmulgee . 255 

Education.320 


Y 


























Contents 

Old Families in Coffee County—Cont’d. 

Newbern. 

Paulk. 

Sapp.. 

Tanner . 

Vickers. 

Ward and Hargraves .... 

Wilcox . 

Old Graveyards. 

Lone Hill. 

Mount Zion. 

New Hope. 

Sand Hill. 

Old School Houses. 

Kirkland School. 

Old Time Singers. 

Ordinary. 

Pioneers of Coffee County .... 

Public Health Work. 

Public Schools. 

Railroads in Coffee County .... 

Brisbane Railroad. 

Douglas and McDonald Railroad . 
Georgia and Florida Railroad . 

Railsplitters. 

Regulators. 

Resolution of General Assembly 
Resolution of Grand Jury .... 

Sand Hill Church. 

Saw Mills and Lumber. 

Scab Timber. 


Page 

41 

52 
71 
66 
43 
55 

53 
125 

125 

126 
126 
125 
116 
117 
121 
166 

84 

237 

280 

148 

148 

150 

150 

181 

141 

1 

3 

153 

171 

316 


VIII 




























Contents 


Page 

Snakes in Coffee County . .186 

South Georgia State College.288 

Spivey, Erwin.87 

Stills and Mills.179 

Storms.250 

Stormy Night on Seventeen-Mile Creek . . . 197 

Strange Phenomenon.254 

Study in Human Hands.318 

Teachers in Coffee County Public Schools . . 284 

Teachers in Douglas Public Schools .... 287 

The Pine Tree.174 

Towns in Coffee County.302 

Ambrose.302 

Broxton.303 

Nicholls.306 

West Green.308 

Tribute to Monroe Wilcox. 98 

Tribute to the Women of the South .... 133 

Trees.208 

Turpentine Industry ..311 

Two Boys from Clinch.168 

Ward, Old Man Billy.95 

Ward, Priscilla (Jones) and Her Ward Boys . 72 

War Times and Hard Times.127 

Wheat and Flour Mill.184 

Where Uncle Jim Lives.157 

Wilcox, Capt. Jefferson.88 

Wild Turkeys.192 

Women of the South.134 

World War Veterans.333 


IX 






























Illustrations 


Page 

Warren P. Ward . Frontispiece 

J. H. Peterson, M. D. Dickerson, Warren P. Ward 3 

Senators. 6 

Riley Wright.12 

Judges Superior Court.16 

Senators.22 

Jim Boy, a Creek Indian.24 

Daddy Ward’s Mill.27 

Billy Bow-Legs.34 

Representatives.46 

Representatives.58 

Solicitors Superior Court.86 

Erwin Spivey.87 

Jeff Wilcox.88 

Dunk Douglas.90 

Dr. Staff Davis.93 

Billy Ward.95 

Dr. Calvin Parker.100 

Superior Court Clerks.124 

Spinning Wheel.129 

James K. Hilliard.. 136 

Abraham Hargraves and Wife.140 

Parker, William.155 

J. M. Freeman.157 

M. D. Dickerson-W. C. Lankford.168 

The Pine Tree.174 

Ordinaries.182 

Stormy Night on Seventeen-Mile Creek . . . 197 

Rev. Green Taylor.201 

Sheriffs.214 


XI 




























Illustrations 

Page 

Big Four—Dan Gaskin, R. S. Smith, Dan 

Newbern, Elias Lott.230 

J. M. Ashley.233 

Archie Bagwell.239 

Tanner, Melvin.280 

Douglas Public Schools.287 

South Georgia State College.288 

Georgia Normal Business College.291 

Courthouse, Douglas, Georgia.297 

Broxton High School.303 

Nicholls Public School.306 

William Gaskin.324 

Map of Coffee County, Georgia.329 

Arthur Lott.259 

Major John M. Spence.259 


XII 














Preface 


I have been selected by the grand jury of Coffee 
County, to prepare a complete history of the county 
and its people, covering the formation, development 
and progress of the county from its creation in 1854 
to the present date, 1930. The result of my labor is 
now before you. 

No country is greater than its people. I have tried 
to give a history of many of the old families who have 
helped to make Coffee County what it is. No book 
could contain the names of all the worthy people of 
Coffee County; consequently I have been compelled to 
omit the names of many families. I regret this, but 
have done the best that I could with the space at my 
disposal. 

Inasmuch as the Creek Indians occupied this terri¬ 
tory before the Pioneers came, I have given much space 
to the story of the Indians. I note with pleasure that 
the Indians destroyed nothing while they lived here, 
and when we came we found plenty of game, birds, 
and fish. The country was in a primitive condition 
when the Indians left it, and they gave us but little 
trouble while they were here. 

I am giving you a special write-up of Billy Bow- 
Legs, celebrated Indian chief, who was the most talked- 
about Indian in South Georgia. I am proud to be able 


XIII 


to give you his picture. It is the first time his history 
has been printed. 

I am giving you biographies, stories and incidents 
tending to illustrate the social and economical life of 
our people. 

I have spent much time and have done a lot of work 
in giving you the early history of Coffee County, cover¬ 
ing old schools, old churches and old methods of life. 
To those of you who read this history, you will now be 
able to see what wonderful progress has been made in 
Coffee County within recent years. 

WARREN P. WARD, 
Historian for Coffee County. 


XIV 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 


1 


A Resolution of General Assembly 

WHEREAS, the founding of the colony of Georgia 
by General James Oglethorpe occurred in 1733 and the 
two hundredth anniversary of that venturesome, politi¬ 
cal and philanthropic event will occur in 1933 and 
should be marked in some way proper to its historic 
character, so as to perpetuate for our posterity and 
the records of the State and Nation the facts of the 
evolution and progress of the commonwealth that be¬ 
came a constituent State of the Federated republic 
of the United States; and 

WHEREAS, no provision has been made by the 
State Government to celebrate and memorialize the mo¬ 
mentous establishment of the colony and subsequent 
sovereign State, and 

WHEREAS, there is not in existence today a com¬ 
prehensive and contemporaneous history of the State, 
therefore, be it 

RESOLVED, by the General Assembly of Georgia, 
both houses thereof concurring herein, that the Judges 
of the Superior Courts of the State are hereby earnestly 
requested to give in charge to the grand jury of each 
county in their several circuits, at the next term of the 
court herein, the urgent consent of some competent 
person in their county to prepare between now and 
February 12th, 1933, being Georgia Day, as nearly a 
complete history of the formation, development and 
progress of said county from its creation up to that 
date, together with accounts of such persons, families 
and public events as have given character and fame 
to the County, the State, and the Nation. And that 
said county histories be deposited on Georgia Day in 


9 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 


1933 in the State’s Department of Archives and His¬ 
tory, there to be preserved for the information of 
future citizens of the State and prospective biogra¬ 
phers and historians. And this action is recommended 
to the judges, grand juries, and the people of all the 
counties of the State, for early procedure because delay 
will leave action in this behalf too short a time for the 
necessary research and accumulation of data to make 
the county histories as full and accurate as they should 
be for full historic value. 

RESOLVED, FURTHER, that the Governor of the 
State is respectfully requested to transmit an officially 
certified copy of these resolutions to each of the judges 
of the Superior Courts of the State. 

W. CECIL NEILL, RICHARD B. RUSSELL, JR., 
President of Senate. Speaker of House. 

D. F. McCLATCHEY, E. B. MOORE, 

Secretary of Senate. Clerk of House. 

Approved: L. G. HARDMAN, Governor. 

This 23rd day of August, 1929. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 


3 


Resolution of Grand Jury of Coffee 
County 

The grand jury, as a whole, following up the fine 
sentiment developed by the last General Assembly of 
this State in designating the year 1933 for celebrating 
the 200th anniversary of the establishment of the 
Colony, now the Commonwealth of Georgia, and the 
same being transmitted to this body in the able charge 
of its esteemed Judge M. D. Dickerson, does hereby 



1. J. H. Peterson, Chairman County Commissioners 

2. M. D. Dickerson, Judge Superior Court 

3. Warren P. Ward, Ordinary Coffee County 


designate and recommend that His Honor, Judge M. D. 
Dickerson, Ordinary W. P. Ward and Chairman of 
County Commissioners J. H. Peterson be authorized to 
appoint and fix compensation of a competent person, 
to gather, compile and write a complete history of 
Coffee County and its establishment in 1854 up to the 
present date, and that such complete history be de- 






4 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

livered to the keeper of Archives and History for the 
State of Georgia as a permanent record constituting 
our County’s part in the glowing history of the Em¬ 
pire State. 

Having completed our investigation, 

Respectfully submitted, 

W. T. Cottingham, Foreman. 

T. A. Mitchell, Clerk. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 5 

Georgia Laws Creating Coffee County 

Coffee County Boundaries Defined 

SECTION I. Be it enacted by the Senate and House 
of Representatives of the State of Georgia in General 
Assembly met, and it is hereby enacted by the au¬ 
thority of the same, That from and immediately after 
the passage of this act, a new county shall be made 
out from the counties of Clinch, Ware, Telfair and 
Irwin, to be included within the following bounds, viz: 
Beginning at the corners of lots numbers One Hundred 
and Fifty-six and One Hundred and Sixty-seven in 
the Tenth District of formerly Irwin, now Clinch 
County, running from thence due east, along the 
original line, to the district line dividing the Tenth 
District of formerly Irwin, now Clinch, and the Seventh 
District of formerly Appling, now Clinch County, to 
the corner of lots number One Hundred and Sixty-one 
and One Hundred and Sixty-two in the Seventh Dis¬ 
trict, thence due east along the original line, to the 
line dividing Clinch and Ware, thence up said line to 
Red Bluff Creek, thence along said creek to the Satilla 
River, thence down said river to the dividing line of 
the Seventh and Eighth districts of formerly Appling, 
now Ware County, thence due north along the district 
line dividing said districts, and the districts number 
five and six in originally Appling, now Ware County, 
thence along the line dividing the counties of Appling 
and Telfair to the Ocmulgee River, thence up said river 
to Coffee’s Road, thence taking the road to the Lowndes 
County line, thence due east to the Alapaha River to 
the place of beginning. 


6 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 


Districts, Etc. 

SEC. II. And be it further enacted by the authority 
aforesaid, That the new county described by the first 
section of this act shall be known by the name of 
Coffee County, and be attached to the Southern Judi- 



SENATORS FROM COFFEE COUNTY. 

1. E. L. Grantham, 1923-1929. 

2. J. M. Wilcox, 1882-1883-1884-1885. 

3. S. F. Memory, 1925-1926. 

4. William A. McDonald, 1882-1883. 

5. George W. Deen, 1907-1908. 

6. Capt. J. W. Boyd, 1890-1891. 









Ward’s History of Coffee County 


7 


cial District, to the first Congressional District, and 
to the Second Brigade of the Sixth Division, Georgia 
Militia. 

County Officers, How and Where Elected, 

Militia Districts 

SEC. III. And be it further enacted by the au¬ 
thority aforesaid, That the persons included within 
the said new county, entitled to vote for representatives 
of the General Assembly, shall, on the first Monday 
in April next, proceed to elect five Justices of the 
Inferior Court, a clerk of the Superior Court, a clerk 
of the Inferior Court, a sheriff, coroner, a tax collec¬ 
tor, a receiver of tax returns, a county surveyor, and 
an ordinary for said county; the election for said offi¬ 
cers shall be held at the house of Daniel Lott, and shall 
be conducted in manner as is now prescribed by law, 
and the Governor, on the same being certified to him, 
shall commission such persons as returned to him as 
elected at such elections, to hold their respective offices 
for and during the terms prescribed by law, and that 
the Justices of the Inferior Court, after they shall have 
received their commissions, shall proceed to lay out 
and divide said new county into Militia Districts, and 
advertise for the election of the requisite number 
of Justices of the Peace, said Governor, on being duly 
certified of the election of such Justices of the Peace, 
shall commission them according to law. 

County Site and Buildings 

SEC. IV. And be it further enacted by the au¬ 
thority aforesaid, That the Justices of the Inferior 


8 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 


Court of said county shall have full power and au¬ 
thority to select and locate a site for the public build¬ 
ings in said county, and the said Justices, or a majority 
of them, are hereby authorized to purchase a tract 
or lot of land for the location of the county site, lay 
off the same into lots, and sell the same at public sale 
for the benefit of said county, or make such other 
arrangements or contracts in relation to the location 
of the county site and public buildings as they may 
deem most advantageous to the public good. 

Precincts 

SEC. V. And be it further enacted by the authority 
aforesaid, That the elections of the county generally, 
and by the precincts, for all elections, shall be estab¬ 
lished at the place of holding Justices’ Courts in the 
several districts in said county, and votes received at 
them accordingly. 

Justices and Bailiffs 

SEC. VI. And be it further enacted by the authority 
aforesaid, That all Justices of the Peace and bailiffs, 
within the limits of said new county, shall hold their 
commissions and exercise the duties of their several 
offices within the said limits of the aforesaid county, 
until their successors shall have been elected and com¬ 
missioned. 

Processes and How Executed, Publication 

SEC. VII. And be it further enacted by the author¬ 
ity aforesaid, That all mesne process, executions, and 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 9 

other final process in the hands of the Sheriffs, Coro¬ 
ners, and Constables, of the counties of which the new 
county may be formed, and which properly belong to 
said new county, and which have been levied, or in part 
executed, and such proceedings therein not finally dis¬ 
posed of at the time of passing this act, shall be de¬ 
livered over to the corresponding officers of said new 
county, and such officers are hereby authorized and 
required to proceed with the same, and in the same 
manner as if such process had been originally in their 
hands: Provided, That in all cases publication of the 
time and places of sale, and proceedings of the like 
character, in the new county, shall be made for the 
time now prescribed by law, and all such process which 
properly belongs to the counties out of which said 
county may be formed, which may be in the hands of 
the officers of said new county, shall in like manner be 
delivered over to the officers of said county, to be 
executed by them in the manner herein prescribed. 

Courts 

SEC. VIII. And be it further enacted by the au¬ 
thority aforesaid, That the Superior Court for said 
county shall be held on Friday after the time of 
holding Appling County courts. 

Extra Tax 

SEC. IX. And be it further enacted by the author¬ 
ity aforesaid, That the Justices of the Inferior Court 
of Coffee County be authorized to levy an extra tax, 
not exceeding fifty per cent upon the general tax, for 
the purpose of erecting public buildings in said county. 


10 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 


SEC. X. And be it further enacted by the authority 
aforesaid, That all laws and parts of laws militating 
against the provisions of this act, be and the same are 
hereby repealed. 

Approved, February 9, 1854. 


Ward’s History or Coffee County 


11 


Creation of Jeff Davis County 

New County from Appling and Coffee named “Jeff 
Davis” and Attached to Brunswick Circuit 
and Eleventh Congressional District 

An Act to lay off and organize a new county out of 
portions of Appling and Coffee Counties, and for other 
purposes in connection therewith. 

SECTION I. Be it enacted by the General Assembly 
of the State of Georgia, and it is hereby enacted by 
authority of the same, That from and after the first 
day of January, 1906, a new county shall be, and the 
same is, hereby laid off and organized from portions 
of the counties of Appling and Coffee. 

SEC. II. Be it further enacted, That said new 
county shall be named and called “Jeff Davis,” and 
it shall be attached to the Brunswick Judicial Circuit, 
to the Eleventh Congressional District. 

Territory 

SEC. III. Be it further enacted, That the said 
County of “Jeff Davis” shall be included within the 
following boundaries: Beginning at a point on the 
Altamaha River which bounds the present counties 
of Appling and Tattnall, being at the northeast corner 
of land lot No. 695; thence running the land line south 
to the southeast corner of land lot No. 443; thence due 
west the land line to the southwest corner of land lot 
No. 448; thence again due south the land line to the 
southeast corner of land lot No. 272; thence again due 
west the land line to the southwest corner of land lot 
No. 271; thence due south the land line to the north- 


12 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 


east corner land lot No. 222; thence due east the land 
line to the northeast corner of land lot No. 224; thence 
again due south the land line to the southeast corner 
of land lot No. 122; thence again due west the land 
line to Coffee County line dividing Appling and Coffee 
counties at the southwest corner of land lot No. 116; 
thence beginning at the southeast corner of land lot 
No. 116 in Coffee County and running west the land 
line to the southwest corner of land lot No. 129; thence 
running north the land line to the Ocmulgee River, 
which now forms the present boundary line between 
the counties of Coffee and Telfair, all being in the 
first district of Coffee County; thence along the Ocmul¬ 
gee and the Altamaha Rivers to the point of beginning. 



Riley Wright 
Clerk Superior Court 


1873 - 1875-1877 



Ward’s History of Coffee County 


13 


Creation of Atkinson County 

Boundaries of New County. Name of County 
and Site Districts and Circuits. 

An act to propose to the qualified electors of this 
State an amendment to Paragraph 2, Section I, Article 
II, of the Constitution of the State of Georgia, as 
amended by the ratification by the qualified electors 
of this State of the acts approved July 19, 1904, July 
31, 1906, July 30, and August 14, 1912, July 7, 17, 27 
and August 11, 1914, and for other purposes. 

SECTION I. Be it enacted by the General Assembly 
of the State of Georgia, and it is hereby enacted by the 
authority of the same, That the following amendment 
is hereby proposed to paragraph 2, section I, article II, 
of the Constitution of the State of Georgia, as amended 
by the ratification by the electors of said State of the 
acts approved July 19, 1904, July 31, 1906, July 30 and 
August 14, 1912, July 7, 17, 27 and August 11, 1914, to- 
wit: By adding to said paragraph the following 
language: “Provided, however, That, in addition to 
the counties not provided for by this Constitution, 
there shall be a new county laid out and created from 
territory embraced in Coffee and Clinch Counties with¬ 
in the following boundary lines: Beginning at the 
point where the southern boundary line of lot of 
land No. 334, in the Fifth Land District of Coffee 
County, intersects the middle of the run of Willacoo- 
chee Creek, then to follow said land line directly 
east to the southeast corner of lot of land No. 15, in the 
Sixth Land District of Coffee County to the southwest 
corner of said lot of land; thence along the land line 


14 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

directly east to where it intersects the middle of 
the run of the Satilla River; thence, in a southeasterly 
direction along the run of the said Satilla River to 
where the same intersects the northern boundary of 
lot of land No. 250, in the Sixth (6) Land District, 
thence directly east along said line to where it inter¬ 
sects the Ware County line; thence in a southerly direc¬ 
tion along the Ware County line to the southeast 
corner of lot of land No. 234, in the Seventh Land Dis¬ 
trict of Clinch County; thence directly westward along 
the land line of said lot of land No. 234 on the south, 
to where it intersects the middle of the run of Alapaha 
River; thence in a northerly direction along the middle 
of the run of the Alapaha River to the mouth of Willa- 
coochee Creek; thence along the middle of the run of 
Willacoochee Creek to point of beginning. That said 
new county shall be known as “Atkinson County,” and 
the “City of Pearson” shall be the county seat there¬ 
of. That said “Atkinson County” shall be attached 
to the Eleventh Congressional District, the Way cross 
Judicial Circuit and the Fifth Senatorial District. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 


15 


Land Districts of Coffee County 

These land districts were surveyed, platted and 
mapped by various surveyors under the authority of 
the State of Georgia. It is worthy of note that the 
Sixth Land District of Coffee County, Georgia, is the 
largest land district in the county. It was surveyed by 
Reuben Neel. It was begun the 23rd day of July, 1819. 
The chain bearers were Riley King and Enoch Johns. 

The boundary of the. Fourth Land District of Coffee 
County is as follows: Beginning at the southwest 
corner of the lot of land number 30 in the Fourth Dis¬ 
trict : South along the land lot line to the southwest 
corner of lot of land 20. West across 41. South to 
lots 41-42. West to lot of land 46 and south along 
south side 72 to the land district line and lot 72. East 
along the land district line to the southeast corner of 
lot 15. North along the land district line to the Oc- 
mulgee River. West of said river to the beginning. 

First land district of Coffee County is as follows: 
Beginning at the northwest corner of 322 of the First 
District and on the Ocmulgee River. South along said 
land district line to the southwest corner of lot of land 
Number 1. Thence in an easterly direction to the 
southeast of lot of land 23. North along the original 
land line beginning at the county line of Appling to 
the northeast corner of lot of land 115 and being the 
corner of Jeff Davis County, then following Jeff Davis 
west and north back to the river. 

Fifth District of Coffee County, Georgia, being as 
follows: To the northeast corner of lot of land Num¬ 
ber 23. South along the land lot line to the south¬ 
east corner of 345. The same being the boundary of 


16 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 


Coffee County, thence west along the boundary line 
of Coffee and Atkinson Counties, to the Irwin County 
line. Northeast direction to lot of land 18. Easterly 
direction to the northeast lot of land 23 to the point 
of beginning. 

Sixth Land District of Coffee County, Georgia, is as 



JUDGES SUPERIOR COURT 

1. R. G. Dickerson, first Judge 4. Francis Willis Dart (the 

of Alapaha Circuit. youngest judge in Georgia 

2. J. I. Summerall, 1915-1924. at the time of his service.) 

3. J. W. Quincey, 1914-1915. 

5. Calvin A. Ward, Judge In¬ 
ferior Court. 






Ward’s History of Coffee County 17 

follows: The northwest of land lot Number 1 and 
running south along.the land lot line to the southwest 
corner of Number 15. East along the south line of 15 
to the southeast corner of said lot. South along the 
west line of 31 to the southwest corner of 31. East 
along the land lot line to the Satilla River, being about 
or between 200-201, down the Satilla River in a south¬ 
easterly direction to the south line of 249. East along 
the Coffee County and Atkinson land line to the south¬ 
east corner of lot of land 525, same being the corner of 
Ware County. North along the land lot line 507. 
West along the land lot to the point of beginning. 

Beginning at the northwest of lot of land 510 of the 
Fifth District of Coffee County, Georgia, thence east 
across 510. South on the east side of 510. East to 
line 502. South along the east line of 502 and south 
down to the southeast corner of 496. South line 496 
going west 496-517 to the land district line of the 
Sixth District down north along the land district line 
to the northwest corner of 510. 

The land districts of Coffee County were surveyed by 
the state in 1819. A land district in the original survey 
contains 529 lots of land. The land districts remain¬ 
ing just as they were originally surveyed, but the 
changing of county lines has cut off land districts lying 
in one county and added to the new county that was 
cut off from the old county. There are part of two 
Fifth Land Districts in Coffee County. A portion of 
the Fifth Land District of Irwin and Appling County 
was cut off into Coffee County. 

NOTE : This information is furnished to the History 
of Coffee County by D. H. Peterson, County Surveyor, 
and is therefore correct and authentic. 


18 Ward’s History op Coffee County 

Georgia Militia Districts of Coffee 
County 

BROXTON 1127 G. M. is bounded as follows: Begin¬ 
ning on the east side of lot of land 103 in Land District 
Number 1; thence south along east side to lot of land 
Number 231; thence west along the south side to lot 
of land 46; thence north to lot of land 95; thence west 
to lot 20, the boundary line; thence north along boun¬ 
dary line to Ocmulgee River; thence running south 
back to the point of beginning. 

AMBROSE 1556 G. M. is bounded as follows: Be¬ 
ginning on the west side of lot of land 170; thence run¬ 
ning southeasterly to lot of land Number 46; thence 
east to lot of land 250, thence southeasterly to lot 
of land 254; thence south to boundary line; thence 
east to lot of land 33, then north to lot of land 95; 
thence west to boundary line, then south to point of 
beginning. 

DOUGLAS 748 G. M. is bounded as follows: Begin¬ 
ning on the northwest side of lot of land 48, thence run¬ 
ning south to lot of land 60, then west to lot 33, then 
south again to boundary line; thence east to lot of land 
169; thence southeasterly to boundary line; thence 
west to lot of land 341; thence north to lot of land 
326; thence east to land lot 232; thence west again to 
lot 48, the point of beginning. 

NICHOLLS G. M. is bounded as follows: Beginning 
on the northwest side of lot of land 365; thence south 
to lot 350, the boundary line, thence east to lot 525; 
thence north to lot of land 517; thence east to lot 496; 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 


19 


thence north again to 502; east to 511; thence north 
to 509, thence east to lot 365, the point of beginning. 

WEST GREEN 427 G. M. is bounded as follows: 
Northwest by lot of land 104; in the Fifth Land Dis¬ 
trict of Coffee County; thence south to lot of land 274; 
thence east to lot of land 509; thence north to lot 
115; thence west to lot 104, the point of beginning. 

BRIDGETOWN 1804 G. M. is bounded as follows: 
Beginning at the southeast corner of lots of land num¬ 
bers 15 and 14 in the Sixth District of Coffee County, 
Georgia; running along east lines of said lots 15 and 
14 to the Satilla River, thence in a westerly direction 
along said river to Hebron Bridge; thence along the 
Douglas and Willacoochee road northwest to the 
bridge across the Satilla River on said road; thence in 
a westerly direction along the Satilla River to the 
Irwin County line, said district being bounded as 
follows: on the south by Atkinson County Line; east 
by the east original line of lots 15 and 14 in the Sixth 
District of Coffee County, Georgia, and the Douglas 
and Willacoochee public roads; north by the Satilla 
and the Douglas and Lax road and west by Douglas 
and Lax road and the Irwin County and Berrien County 
lines. 


20 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 


Early History of Coffee County 

First County Officers—The List of Juries—Population 
in 1860 

Since the removal of the Indians and the building of 
the Columbus and Blackshear roads, immigration came 
more rapidly to this section of Georgia. The class of 
people who came in were sturdy men and women from 
Virginia and the Carolinas. They had large families. 
Conditions of all kinds were improving; churches and 
schoolhouses were being built; roads were being 
opened; farm land being fenced and cultivated, and 
there was an era of progress and prosperity on every 
side. And so, in 1854 Coffee County was created, be¬ 
ing carved out of Appling, Telfair and Irwin Counties. 
The county was named for General John Coffee. Hon. 
James Pearson gave the county fifty acres of land, on 
which the courthouse was built in 1858. The county 
site was named Douglas, after Hon. Stephen A. Douglas, 
who had been the South’s candidate for President. 

All the citizens of Telfair County on the south side of 
the Ocmulgee River and all the citizens who formerly 
lived in Appling County, later included in Coffee 
County, and also citizens of Irwin County, then in¬ 
cluded in Coffee County, all became citizens of the 
new county of Coffee. The county was duly organized 
on the 17th day of April, 1854, by the Justices of the 
Inferior Court of the County of Coffee, whose names 
were as follows: Alex Mobley, Joel Lott, Mark Lott, 
Hardy Kail, and Elijah Pickren. 

The first officers of Coffee County, which are as fol¬ 
lows: B. H. Tanner, Sheriff; Whitington S. Moore, 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 


21 


Clerk Superior Court; Whitington S. Moore, Clerk In¬ 
ferior Court; Thomas Mobley, Ordinary; John W. 
Matchet, Tax Receiver; John R. Smith, Tax Collector; 
Carver, Surveyor; Sim Parker, Coroner. 

Grand Jurors 

In order to give you an idea of the leading citizens of 
Coffee County, at that time, I give you a list of the 
grand and petit jurors drawn for the June term of 
court of Coffee County, 1854. The list of the grand 
jury was as follows: Daniel Newbern, Nathan Byrd, 
Joseph Asbell, William C. Smith, Nathaniel Ashley, 
Abram Hargraves, Ivey Kirkland, William W. Creech, 
Seth Durham, Sherrod Roberts, Maddock H. McRae, 
Robert Roberts, Thomas Mobley, Archibald Miller, 
David Hutchinson, John J. Pickren, Arthur Turner, 
Elias Moore, Lewis Harper, Calvin Quinn, Roan Paf- 
ford, Daniel Lott, David Dyal, Daniel Morrison, Bar- 
tilery Burkett, William Hinson, Thomas Paulk, James 
Sermons, Bryant Wooten, Archibald McLean, Joel 
Ricks, Jackson Ward, Elijah Graham, Daniel Lott, 
Sr., Hiram Sears, Stafford Davis, Jacob J. Hill, William 
Dent, Allen Summerlin, Hiram Ellis, Joel Lott, Aaron 
G. Fryer, George Wilcox, William R. Manning, Calvin 
A. Ward. 

Petit Jurors 

The following is a list of the names of the petit 
jurors: Jackson Mills, Seaborn Bowen, James R. Smith, 
Alexander Chancey, Solomon Carver, Benjamin 
Thomas, Needham Purvis, John Middleton, John Pass- 
more, John Douglas, James H. Wilcox, Elijah Tanner, 
James Gaskin, Johns Brooks, Alfred Merritt, Harris 


22 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 


Johnson, Mark Mobley, William Carver, P. Merritt, 
N. B. Sislar, Hiram Ellis, Jr., Mathew Benfield, Simon 
L. Wooten, E. S. Meeks, Angus Gillis, John Adams, 
Washington Nelson, Parrish Lankford, Jesse Bennett, 
John Ricketson, M. J. Kirkland, John Cothern, John P. 



SENATORS. 

1. Joe C. Brewer, 1929-. 

2. W. T. Dickerson, 1911-12. 

3. Lem Johnson, 1900-1901. 

4. Leon A. Wilson, 1894-1895. 

5. Mack Kirkland, 1871-72. 

6. George W. Newbern, 1875-1876-1877. 






Ward’s History of Coffee County 


23 


Ricketson, Lovett Harrell, William Herrin, Thomas 
Minix, James Carver, Jr., William Everitt, Harris Kirk¬ 
land, Benjamin Ricketson, Daniel Johnson, John Dur¬ 
ham, John M. Lott, Willoby Adams, Demps Everett, 
Joseph Roberts, Henry Hutto and William Hutto. 

Population 

The population of Coffee County in 1860 was: whites, 
2206; colored, 673. In 1870, ten years later, which 
covered the Civil War period, the population was 
white, 2514; colored, 678. 


24 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

The Creek Indians 

For several hun¬ 
dred years before 
Oglethorpe settled 
Georgia this terri¬ 
tory was inhabited 
by thousands of In¬ 
dians. The Wire- 
grass Country was 
occupied by the 
Muscogee, or Creek 
Indians. The Indian 
name for creek is 
Muscogee. The Creek 
Indian nation occu¬ 
pied the territory 
embraced in the area 
beginning at the Sa¬ 
vannah River in 
Georgia, running to the St. Augustine in Florida, 
thence running west to the Flint River in Georgia and 
back to the beginning. The Indians known as the 
Cherokees lived in the middle part and northern part 
of the state; the Seminole Indians, which means wild 
men, lived in the east or southern part of Georgia and 
in Florida. 

In my study of the Indians, in the Wiregrass Coun¬ 
try, I have been surprised at the meager information 
to be found about their history, their manner and 
habits of life. 

When the whites settled in the Wiregrass Country 
about the year 1800, it is estimated that there were 



Jim Boy 

A Typical Creek Indian Whose Indian 
Name Was Tustennuggee Emathla. 
He was bom in 1793. 



Ward’s History of Coffee County 


25 


twenty thousand Creek Indians in Georgia and eastern 
Alabama. They had thirty-seven towns; several of 
the towns were located on the Oconee River. Some 
twenty or thirty towns were located on the Chatta¬ 
hoochee and Flint Rivers; and so far as I have been 
able to ascertain, there were no towns in this part 
of Georgia. 

The three tribes of Indians, which I have just named, 
were somewhat similar in their personal appearance, 
their habits of life, and also their language. One of 
the Indian commissioners of the United States govern¬ 
ment describes the Creek Indians as follows: 

“The men are tall, erect and robust; their limbs are 
well shaped so as to form a perfect human figure; their 
features are such as to give them a dignified appear¬ 
ance ; the eye is rather small and very black; their 
complexion is a reddish brown, or copper color; their 
hair long, coarse and brown. The Creek women are 
of short stature, well-formed round faces, the eye large 
and black.” 

The Cherokee men are very much like the Muscogee 
men, but the Cherokee women appear to be of a very 
different type from that of the Creek woman. The 
Cherokee women are tall, slender, erect, and of a 
delicate frame; their features formed with perfect 
symmetry, their countenance cheerful, friendly; they 
move with grace and dignity. 

The Seminole Indians are of a copper color, over six 
feet tall. One of the best specimens of the Seminole 
race is that of Osceola, who died in prison in 1838. 
He was born and reared in Wiregrass Georgia. When 
he reached the age of twelve years, he moved to 
Florida. 


26 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

In the study of Ihe Indians of Georgia, and from 
such information as I could get from books, and from 
tradition, and from old citizens, I have been surprised 
at the intelligence and their high regards for justice 
and truth. If you have heard that the Indians who 
then lived in Georgia were something like the wild 
animals, you are very much mistaken. They had 
plenty of sense, had their own ideals of life, and as a 
rule they were no better and no worse than other 
nations of people. I wish to say to the credit of the 
Creek Indians that so far as I have been able to 
ascertain they gave the pioneer settlers of South Geor¬ 
gia little trouble. The white settlers lived among them 
for twenty years, and more, without having trouble 
of any sort. They often came to our home, ground 
their corn on our mill and swapped their guns with 
our boys. One of the first words the Indians learn is 
“swap.” The reason for that is because of trade with 
the white people. We are accustomed to think that 
the Indians lived in the woods, had no houses and no 
clothes, and no means of warfare except with their 
tomahawks, and their bows and arrows, but in this we 
are very much mistaken. 

The Creek Indians were religious in a way. They 
believed in the Great Spirit. They could not under¬ 
stand how you could get religion out of a book. They 
believed in a future state of rewards and punishments. 
They had some sort of religious ceremonies, but had 
no organization which in any way corresponds with 
our churches. 

When Mr. Oglethorpe came to Savannah, he got in 
touch with that noble chief, Tommiechichi, made 
friends with him and entered into trade relations with 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 


27 


him and all the Creek 
Indians. The follow¬ 
ing’ is a schedule of 
prices agreed upon 
by Mr. Oglethorpe 
and the Creek In¬ 
dians ; five skins for 
one white blanket; 
ten buckskins for a 
gun; five buckskins 
for a pistol; four 
buckskins for a gun; 
one buckskin for a 
couple of measures of 
powder; one buck¬ 
skin for sixty bul¬ 
lets ; two buckskins 
for one white shirt; 
one doe hide for a 
knife; two buckskins for a hoe; two buckskins for an 
axe; three doe skins for a large hatchet; one buckskin 
for a pound of brass; this being the 18th day of May, 
1734. It will be seen by the above that the Indians 
buy all the guns and all the powder and all the bullets 
from the white people that they were able to pay for; 
it will also be seen that they bought blankets, shirts 
and cloth, consequently they wore clothes of some 
sort; generally, however, the clothes of the Creek In¬ 
dians consisted of hunting shirt of some sort with 
buckskin breeches. 

I have said that so far as I could ascertain, the Creek 
Indians had no towns in this section of Wiregrass 
Georgia, but they often came to this section on hunting 



Old “Daddy” Ward’s mill where the 
Creek Indians ground their corn 
- 1810 - 1820 . 




28 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

trips; they would select some camping ground and 
stay there for several weeks. 

As it has been seen, the buckskins were very valu¬ 
able for trading purposes and the flesh could be used 
for eating. 

When the weather was good the Indians opened up 
the deer, cut out the bones and left the meat on the 
skin. When they traveled, the skin was rolled up with 
the meat inside, and when they stopped for camp the 
meat could be hung up in the sun to cure, and when 
thus cured could be kept for weeks. 

The Indians, in passing from the Oconee River to 
Chattahoochee and Flint Rivers, and also from the 
Ocmulgee River down to the Okefenokee Swamp and 
into Florida, would pass through this section of Geor¬ 
gia. They had Indian trails, with regular crossing 
places at the rivers and creeks, and Indian Ford and 
Indian Spring on the Seventeen-Mile Creek, about 
five miles east of Douglas, was one of their crossing 
places; they had a regular camping place near the 
J. M. Lott old place, about fifteen miles northeast of 
Douglas. Many of the early settlers of this section 
used to go to the camp and trade with them. One of 
the Indian trails led from the Ocmulgee River down 
to Florida, and is known as the “trail ridge.” Indian 
mounds are to be seen along the east banks of the 
Seventeen-Mile Creek. There is one near the Indian 
ford; one near Gaskin Springs and others in the 
hammocks along the creek. There is much speculation 
as to what use the Indians made of these mounds; they 
seem to be graveyards, places where they buried 
their dead. By digging in these mounds, you will find 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 29 

such implements as the Indians used, such as flints, 
pottery and sometimes human bones. 

The Indian villages on the Chattahoochee, Flint and 
Oconee Rivers were built of logs and boards. In the 
center of the village some sapling poles were put up 
in a rough manner and covered. In cold weather a 
fire was built in the center of it, to this everybody 
was welcome, and there was plenty of room, as the 
structure covered about twenty by thirty foot space. 
The Indians had their little huts for their families, 
circled around this centrally located building in the 
same manner as many houses are today found around 
a mill quarter, but the buildings looked more like dog 
houses and goat houses. 

Dr. Jefferson Wilcox, who has a wonderful memory, 
says that he heard a tradition of an Indian chief, by 
the name of Ocilla, who lived in Wiregrass Georgia, 
died in what is now Irwin County and was buried 
there. It may be that the name of Ocilla, now the 
county site of Irwin County, was named for him. 

The Indians deserve our thanks for leaving this 
section of Georgia unharmed. The timber, the game 
and the fish were left here in good condition. They 
did not burn the woods, nor poison the fish, nor destroy 
the timber. 

One of the strangest things about the Indians who 
lived in Wiregrass Georgia is that, although it has 
been only about one hundred years since they left this 
part of the country, no trace of them is left behind, 
except a few Indian mounds. No one has written 
their history in detail, and scarcely a name of the 
most prominent chiefs among the Creek nation can 
be found in any history. No one has undertaken to 


30 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

tell about the economic life of the Indians as they 
lived in the Wiregrass Country one hundred years 
ago. We hear Tommiechichi, who made friends with 
Oglethorpe, and Osceola, who grew up in South Geor¬ 
gia and became famous as an Indian chief among the 
Seminoles. We also hear something about Billy 
Bow-Legs, a great warrior among the Seminoles of 
Florida. 

When General Oglethorpe made his treaty with the 
Creek Indians, in 1734, it also included the Seminoles, 
who at that time lived in South Georgia and Florida, 
but in 1750, the Creek and Seminole Indians had 
trouble among themselves, and, by mutual agreement, 
the Seminoles went to Florida and the Creeks re¬ 
mained in South Georgia. 

By the study of the Indian language, we find that 
many of the principal streams in South Georgia were 
named by the Indians. The Indians named the Chat¬ 
tahoochee, Ocmulgee, Oconee, and Ohoope Rivers; 
they also named the Coochee Creek, and the Willa- 
coochee Creek. The Indian names usually ended with 
“ee,” however, it sometimes happened, owing to the 
meaning of the word, that the name of the creek or 
river ended with “a,” such as Altamaha, Allapaha, 
and so forth. St. Ilia and the St. Marys Rivers appear 
to be Spanish names. 

When the whites would go into Florida after their 
slaves, the Indians would retaliate, coming into Geor¬ 
gia, stealing cows, hogs, and other property, and in 
some instances they killed and robbed the citizens of 
Wiregrass Georgia. To protect themselves against 
the attacks of the Indians, the white people built forts 
in South Georgia. There was one fort near what is 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 31 

now Homerville, Georgia, in Clinch County, Georgia; 
there was another fort about five miles northeast of 
Douglas, near the home of Mr. John Peterson, at 
Hutfer, Ga. These forts were built with pine poles 
stood upon the ends around two- or three-acre tracts 
of land; they were braced inside with poles and made 
as strong as possible. 

Inside the fort grounds, small houses or rooms were 
constructed for living purposes for women and chil¬ 
dren who went there for protection from time to time. 
About the year 1837, a band of robber Indians passed 
through this country. All the families in reach of the 
fort near the Peterson home were commanded to come 
to the fort, which they did. About three miles north 
of Douglas, on a high hill overlooking the Seventeen- 
Mile Creek, lived a man by the name of Metts. As it 
happened, his family had taken refuge in the fort. 
Mrs. Metts told a negro woman to slip back home and 
get some clothes for herself and the children; when 
she failed to return on time, investigation showed that 
the Indians had robbed the place and killed the negro 
woman. 

About the same time, a whole family by the name 
of Granthams were robbed and killed by the Indians. 
Granthams lived near what is now Pridgen, Georgia. 
As soon as information of the murder reached the 
people, they hastily got up a small company of citizens 
to pursue the Indians. Among those in the company 
whose names I have secured were: Redding Metts, 
John Passmore, Dot Hill, David Collins, John G. 
Taylor, Fred Merritt, Mr. Maddox, and others. The 
Indians were pursued and overtaken at the Flint 
River, near Albany, Georgia. Many of the Indians 


32 Wakd’s Histoky of Coffee County 

were killed, some swam the river and made their 
escape. John G. Taylor, who since that time was a 
well known Baptist minister in South Georgia, dived 
down to the bottom of the river and brought many 
of the Indians to land. 

I will tell you one more incident, because it puts the 
ingenuity of w T hite men to test against the cunning¬ 
ness of the Indians. It is only through tradition that 
I have been able to get this story, which runs thus: 
Way back in the early days people living in South 
Georgia had no markets near and so the people would 
gather their little plunder together, go in carts to 
Centerville, Georgia. The Indians robbed and killed 
a good many of these people going to market at a 
point near the Okefenokee swamp. A company of 
brave pioneers decided to put a stop to this nefarious 
business, and, if possible, make it safe for people to 
go to market. And so with guns and such other 
necessaries as they would need, they went to the point 
near the Okefenokee swamp and pitched their camp. 
They cut small logs into pieces five or six feet long, 
about the length of a man. They laid the logs around 
the campfire and covered them over with quilts and 
blankets. On the ends of the logs they placed hats 
and fixed it up in such a manner as to make it look 
very much like a bunch of travelers lying around the 
campfire. The men, with their guns, went a short 
distance from the campfire and concealed themselves 
in the woods. Away in the midnight hour, as the fire 
burned low, the pioneers saw the heads of Indians 
beginning to peep out from behind trees and stumps 
and from over logs. In a minute there was a volley of 
shots fired and the Indians sprang to their feet and 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 33 

with the war whoop charged upon the campfire. As 
they pulled off the hats at the ends of the logs, instead 
of finding the heads of white men they saw the joke. 
For a moment they stood still in bewilderment ; at 
that moment every Indian was shot dead, not one of 
them made his escape. Every hat had a bullet hole 
in it. That was the last of the robberies committed 
at Centerville by the Indians. 

The Seminole Indians left Georgia and went to 
Florida in 1750. In 1837 the Cherokee Indians left the 
State of Georgia. In 1827 the last treaty was made 
with the Indians. By the year 1841 there was not an 
Indian in Georgia, who had a right to be here. The 
people in Georgia, and especially South Georgia, were 
happy indeed to be rid of the Indians and to have the 
Wiregrass land without fear of molestation. Some 
one wrote a song, about this time, which reads as 
follows: 

“No more shall the sound of the war whoop be heard, 
The ambush and slaughter no longer be feared, 

The tommy hawk buried shall rest in the ground, 

And peace and good will to the nation round.” 


34 Ward’s History of Coffee County 



The picture shown 
here is that of Billy 
Bow-Legs, the cele¬ 
brated Seminole chief 
of Florida. His In¬ 
dian name is Olac- 
to-mico. Billy Bow- 
Legs is supposed to 
have been born in 
Wiregrass Georgia 
about 1804. When he 
was about twelve 
years of age he 
moved to Florida 
and joined the Sem- 



Billy Bow-Legs 


inole nation of that state. Little or nothing is heard 
of him until about 1830 or ’35 when he and his soldiers 
or braves would come to South Georgia and murder 
and kill the people and steal their horses and cattle. 
Billy Bow-Legs it seems was drawn into this sort of 
life as a matter of retaliation against the whites of 
South Georgia. During slavery times the negro slaves 
would sometimes run away and go to Florida and 
make their homes with the Indians. The Indians were 
glad to give them a warm welcome for they used them 
as slaves and as soldiers in the army. At this time 
Florida belonged to the Spanish Government and it 
required too much time and too much expense to take 
the matter up with the Spanish Government and get 
requisition papers for their slaves and so the South 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 35 

Georgia slave owner would generally get up a bunch of 
his friends and go to Florida and take their slaves 
away from the Indians by force and sometimes, per¬ 
haps, they might bring back a few good horses for 
their trouble. Things went on like this for n^any 
years and so about 1841 the United States Government 
had ordered all the Indians to go west of the Mississippi 
and locate there. But Billy Bow-Legs and his band 
of Seminoles did not choose to go, and continued to 
remain in the neighborhood of the “Big Cyprus” in 
the State of Florida. At last the Government called 
for a show-down for Billy Bow-Legs, the Seminole 
chief, but instead of going west of the Mississippi 
river Billy Bow-Legs got on the steamboat and went 
to Washington City via New York. Billy was success¬ 
ful in his trip to the Government at Washington City. 
They advised Billy if he would be good and let the 
white people alone he might remain at the “Big 
Cyprus” for an indefinite period of time. This was 
about 1852 and so Billy went back to the “Big Cyprus” 
in Florida and opened up a big farm. He was also a 
big stock raiser. He had plenty of slaves to carry on a 
big business. He lived like a king and was lord of 
everything in sight but it so happened that the United 
States Government decided to make a survey of South 
Florida, including the “Big Cyprus” country. A crew 
of surveyors sent out by the Government ran into old 
Billy and his possessions one day and they said to them¬ 
selves this is Billy Bow-Legs’ plantation. We will go 
inside and destroy some of his orange trees and banana 
trees and other things and so they did. Next day old 
Billy Bow-Legs was walking over his plantation and 
discovered that somebody had been in- his field and 


36 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 


destroyed liis crop. lie made an examination of the 
tracks and decided it was the surveyors who had 
molested his farm. And so lie went to the camps and 
made inquiry about what had happened. They said 
“yes, we are the boys who did it; they told us this farm 
belonged to Billy Bow-Legs and that they had entered 
the farm and destroyed the trees and fruit, etc., just 
to see old Billy ‘cut up’,” and so the old Indian 
straightened himself up, about six feet and four inches 
high, and said, “Young men, I am Billy Bow-Legs, 
and if you are not off these premises by sunrise to¬ 
morrow morning old Billy Bow-Legs will ‘cut up’.” 
And so Billy went home that night and called about a 
hundred of his braves together and the next morning 
at daylight he made an attack upon the surveyors who 
were soldiers and had commissions from the United 
States Government. And thus began the war with 
the Seminole Indians in 1858, when many people of 
South Georgia were called into service. Old Dr. 
Parker, M. L. Corbitt, C. A. Ward, Sr., and many others 
from Coffee County enlisted in this fight against the 
Seminole Indians. Billy Bow-Legs was a sly old fel¬ 
low. He was hard to catch. He hid himself in the 
Okefenokee Swamp on an island which to this day is 
known as Billy’s island. 

The Government was very gracious toward Billy and 
his band of Indians. An order was passed giving a re¬ 
ward for every Indian that was captured and delivered 
at Ft. Brook, Fla., alive. The order was special that no 
Indian was to be killed. Under this proclamation a 
great many Indians went to Ft. Brook and surrendered 
themselves to. the Government and in cases like that, 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 


37 


the Indian who surrendered received the reward him¬ 
self. 

Billy Bow-Legs was the last Indian to go to Ft. Brook 
and surrender. Being the big chief of all the tribes 
he received a large sum of money and took his journey 
across the Mississippi into the sunset land and thus 
ended the Indian War under Billy Bow-Legs. 

There are several hundred Seminole Indians living 
in Florida now. They give the whites no trouble and 
are fairly good citizens. Mrs. Minie Moore Wilson of 
Kissimmee, Fla., has written several books on the Semi¬ 
nole Indians of Florida. She knows hundreds of these 
Indians and has learned a great deal about them first 
hand. I am indebted to her books for some of the 
facts stated above. 


38 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

Old Families of Coffee County 

The Peterson Family 

From the best information we can get the Petersons 
came to Coffee County from Bulloch County about 
1810. Old man John Peterson had three sisters: Eliza 
Peterson, Lucy Peterson and Elizabeth Peterson. Lucy 
Peterson married old man Dan Lott, Sr. Eliza Peter¬ 
son married Mathie McGovern and Elizabeth Peterson 
married Jim Davis. Fannie Peterson married Youngie 
Vickers and they had the following children: Tishie 
Burthnot, Lila Paulk, Little George Paulk, Beedie 
Carver and Hump Back Wiley Vickers. Lucy Peter¬ 
son and Dan Lott had the following children: John 
Lott, Arthur Lott, Elisha Lott, Joe Lott, Mark Lott, 
Mrs. Jack Vickers, Mrs. Billie Meeks, Mrs. Benajah 
Pearson, Mrs. Elias Moore and Mrs. John Paulk, who 
lives in Irwin County. Eliza Peterson married Mathie 
McGovern and they have the following children: Tom 
Boy McGovern, John McGovern and Fannie McGovern, 
Tom McGovern. Thomas McGovern married a Ricket- 
son. Tom Boy McGovern is deaf and dumb and has 
never married. Fannie McGovern who married Joe 
Day had several children. 

John McGovern married a Neugent and had several 
children. 

John Peterson married Betty Lott. He had two 
brothers. Hal Peterson, and Alfred Peterson. Hal 
Peterson married a Gaskin the first time and had the 
following children: Henry Peterson, Dan Peterson, 
Dave Peterson, Fannie Peterson and Betty Peterson. 
Fannie Peterson married Brooks Paulk, Betty Peterson 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 


39 


married Jack Lott and had one girl, Sarah, who mar¬ 
ried R. G. Kirkland. Henry Peterson married a Miss 
Walker and they had the following children: Mary 
Peterson who married John Gaskins, and Emmitt Peter¬ 
son who married a Miss Summerlin. Fannie Peterson 
who married Brooks Paulk had the following children: 
John Paulk, Elisha Paulk, Roy Paulk and Bessie Paulk, 
Dennis Paulk. Belle Peterson married a Mr. Corbitt. 
Dan Peterson married Elizabeth Lott and they had the 
folloAving children: John Peterson, Lem Peterson, 
Tom Peterson and two girls: Mary Jane and one other. 

John Peterson married Maggie Smith and they had 
the following children: Mary Peterson, Rexford 
Peterson, Gladys Peterson, Dan Peterson, Iris Peterson 
and J. H. Peterson, Jr. 

Lem Peterson married Bertie Herrington and they 
have the following children: Rosa Mary Peterson, 
Robinetta Peterson and L. S. Peterson, Jr. Tom 
Peterson married Stella Stevens and they have the 
following children: 

Alfred Peterson, son of old man John Peterson, 
married Betty Cato and they had the following chil¬ 
dren: Betty Peterson who married Henry Minix, Joe 
Peterson who married Lizzie Ward, Richard Peterson 
who married Lila Lott and William Peterson who 
married a Wooten. 

Betty Peterson who married Henry Minix had the 
following children: Cyrus Minix, Lucy Minix, Lydia 
Minix, Joe Minix and Monroe Minix. Joe Peterson 
married Lizzie Ward and had the following children: 
Simon and Ruby Peterson. Richard Peterson married 
Lila Lott and have several children. 


40 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 


William Peterson married a Wooten and they have 
two children: Dave and Elizabeth. 

Dr. John Peterson and Dr. Nicholls Peterson are 
sons of Mrs. Elizabeth Peterson. 

Sheriff Manning Peterson was the son of Polly Peter¬ 
son. 

We are indebted to old man Essex Peterson for much 
of this information. He was a slave of old man Hal 
Peterson and is 88 years old. 

The Davis Family 

One of the first families who settled in Coffee County 
was Dr. Stafford Davis, a well known cancer doctor. 
He came to Coffee County from Montgomery County 
about 1820 and married Penny Lott who was a sister 
to the old members of the Lott family of this county. 
He lived to be 106 years old and died in the year 1900. 
He had the following children: Dan Davis, Joe Davis, 
Simon Davis, Mark Davis, Arthur Davis; the last named 
three sons died in the Confederate war. Mary married 
Travis Thigpen. Bettie married Perry Nettles, Patsy 
married Hymrick Meeks, Sr., Janie married William 
Bagley, Delilah married Hardy Hall, Sallie married 
Jackson Ward, Penny married Thad Douglas and 
Rhoda married B. W. Teston. 

Following are the names of the children of Joe Davis, 
son of Staff Davis: Joe Davis married Roxie Kirk¬ 
land, America married Dr. Frier, Penny married Tom 
Trowell, Margaret married Fred Tanner, Ella married 
High Davis, Emma married John Hersey, Martha mar¬ 
ried Josh Carter, Betty married Warren Smith, Mose 
married a Meeks, John married Mary Jane Little, 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 41 

Travis married Miss Durhan and Rhoda married Jim 
Carter. 

The following are the children of Janie Davis and 
William Bagley. Sarah Bagley married Jim Spell, 
Mary Bagley married Enoch Hersey, Rachell Bagley 
married Lem Courson, Penny Bagley married William 
Gilliard, John Davis married Liza Bennett, Lottie Bag- 
ley married Ben Teston, Mina married John Carter. 

The following is the list of children of Delilah Davis 
and Dr. Hardy Hall: John Hall married Nettie Maul- 
den, Mark Hall married Rachell Jorden, Dan Hall mar¬ 
ried a Miss Lee, Lee married Winnie Newbern, Delphia 
Ann Hall married Love Harrell, Pollie Hall married 
Newton Lee, Mattie Hall married Rev. H. M. Meeks, 
and Bettie Hall married Monroe Courson. 

Sallie Davis, daughter of old Staff Davis, Sr., mar¬ 
ried Jackson Ward and they have the following chil¬ 
dren: “Big John Ward,” Staff Ward married Mary 
Shuman, Tom Ward married Missouri Newbern, Joe 
Ward married Angeline Burkett, Penny Ward mar¬ 
ried Gaines Ellis, Janie Ward married William Cour¬ 
son, Bettie Ward married H. C. Ellis. 

Mary Davis, daughter of old Dr. Davis, married 
Travis Thigpen and have the following children: 
Manning Thigpen, Joe Thigpen, who married a Mullis, 
Bartow Thigpen who married a Tanner, Susan Thig¬ 
pen married Rev. A. B. Finely, Lila Thigpen married a 
Mr. Sweat. 

The Newbern Family 

Old man Jackson Newbern married Polly Lott and 
had the following children: Daniel Newbern, Jack 


42 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

Newbern, Mark Newbern, Bill Newbern, and Joe New- 
bern. All but Dan Newbern went to Alabama about 
1855. 

Daniel Newbern, long before the Civil War, married 
Winnie Wilcox and settled in Coffee County about 
ten miles north of Douglas. He reared a large family, 
had a water mill and was a successful farmer. His 
children are as follows: Daniel Newbern, Sr., who 
married a Fussell, Lawrence Newbern who married 
Lizzie Douglas, and Willis Newbern who married Mar¬ 
garet Kirkland. She died early in life and he married 
Miss Polly Carver. The girls were Eliza, who married 
a Hinson who died soon after they were married. Later 
in life she married Robert “Dunk” Douglas. Mary 
married John Smith and died early in life. Winnie 
married Leon Hall and died young, Delilah married Mr. 
Davis and died soon. 

About the year 1870 Dan Newbern, Sr., and his wife 
and four grown sons died with menengitis. The coun¬ 
try was very much excited over this disease when so 
many in one family died within a week. Dan Newbern, 
Jr., had the following children: Jesse Newbern, Dan 
Newbern, Jr., married Miss Jackson, Winnie Newbern 
married Micajah Vickers and Eula Newbern married 
W. T. Cottingham. Emma Jane Newbern married 
Warren G. Meeks. 

Rev. George W. Newbern was our senator from 
Coffee County in 1877 and also a Baptist minister. 
He organized Sand Hill Church about the year 1870. 
He was born in 1825 and died in 1892 at Homerville, 
Georgia. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 


43 


The Vickers Family 

Rebecca Paulk was born in 1815 and was married 
twice. Her first husband was Jesse Vickers who died 
in 1831. There was only one child by this marriage, 
which was Beedy Vickers and she married Joel Lott 
in 1826. Rebecca Paulk Vickers was married the 
second time to Ely Vickers, who was a brother to Jesse, 
her first husband. They had the following children: 
Rev. John Vickers, (Jack) born May 28th, 1836, died 
June 7th, 1900. Wiley Vickers, born May 8th, 1839. 
Henry Vickers, born Dec. 26th, 1837. Elijah Vickers 
was born Jan. 11th, 1842 and lived in Berrien County 
for many years. William Vickers, born Aug. 7th, 1843. 
Rebecca Vickers, born Jan. 6th, 1845. Mary (Polly) 
Vickers, born Nov. 3rd, 1845. She married Hamilton 
Sears. Micajah Vickers, born Oct. 8th, 1848. Ely 
Vickers, born Aug. 24th, 1850. He married Lucy Lott. 
Matilda Vickers, born Oct. 20th, 1852, and married 
D. P. Lott. 

Beedy Vickers married Joel Lott and had the follow¬ 
ing children: Jesse Lott, Arthur Lott, Dan Lott, J. B. 
Lott (Babe), Elisha Lott, Wiley Lott, William Lott, 
Johnnie Lott, Rebecca Lott, Lucy Lott, Narcissus Lott, 
Beedy Lott, Martha Lott and Mary Lott. 

Rev. John (Jack) Vickers married Martha Lott the 
first time and had the following children: Rebecca 
Vickers, Elizabeth Vickers, who married Lucius Paulk, 
J. J. Vickers married Eunnie Whiddon. Martha Vick¬ 
ers married G. G. Henderson. Beedy Vickers married 
Elmore Maine. Avie Vickers married Dempsey Whid¬ 
don, Daniel Vickers married Belle Bailey. Ely Vick¬ 
ers married Lilar Paulk. 


44 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

Rev. John Vickers married Sarah Jane Graves, a 
second wife, and they had the following children: 
Joseph Vickers, married Elizabeth Daniels, Leon Vick¬ 
ers married Fronney McMillen, Lewis Vickers first 
married Lucy Lott and then married Emma McEachin. 
George Vickers, Melissa Vickers married Dr. Howell 
and later married Thomas McMillen. Henry Vickers 
married Bessie Joiner, William Vickers married Bessie 
Paulk. Jacob Vickers married first, a Miss Lott and 
then married Rebecca Daniels. Rachael Vickers mar¬ 
ried Lott Paulk and Minnie Vickers married Ollie 
Paulk. 

Henry Vickers married Ellen Sears and had the fol¬ 
lowing children: Mary Jane Vickers, Elias Vickers, 
Rebecca Vickers, William Vickers, Hiram Vickers, Ely 
Vickers, Hattie Vickers, Micajah Vickers, Amanda 
Vickers, Ellen Vickers, Lister Vickers. A second time 
Henry Vickers married Kattie McMillen. Wiley Vick¬ 
ers married Betty Lott. Wiley Vickers married the 
second time Eugenia Parker and had the follow¬ 
ing children: 0. J. Vickers, Calvin Vickers, Matilda 
Vickers, Mattie Vickers, Henry V. Vickers, B. L. Vick¬ 
ers, Eva Vickers, C. E. Vickers, and Gordon Vickers. 
Wiley Vickers married Betty Gaskin, third wife, and 
had no children. 

William Vickers married Francis Lott and had the 
following children: Richard Vickers (Bud), Elie 
Vickers, Matilda Vickers, W. H. Vickers, Rebecca 
Vickers, William Vickers, John Vickers and Michael 
Vickers. 

Mary (Polly) Vickers married Hampton Sears and 
they have the following children: Wiley Sears, Mary 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 


45 


Sears, Hiram Sears, Sol Sears, Rosa Ann Sears, Harnp 
Sears, Beedy Sears, Ollie Sears, and Matilda Sears. 

Elijah Vickers married Annie Sutton and they have 
the following children: William Vickers, Johnnie 
Vickers, Flem Vickers, Leonard Vickers, Bennie Vick¬ 
ers, Blannie Vickers, Minnie Vickers, and Rachael 
Vickers. 

Micajah Vickers married Harriet Sears and they have 
the following children: Leander Vickers, Bartley 
Vickers, Micajah Vickers, Liller Vickers, Rebecca Vick¬ 
ers, Onnie Vickers and Hattie Vickers. 

Micajah Vickers married Viola Starling, his second 
wife, and they had the following children: Fannie 
Vickers and Dorsey Vickers. 

Ely Vickers married Lucy Lott and they had the 
following children: Henrj^ Vickers, J. J. Vickers, Mat- 
tie Vickers, Elisha Vickers, Warren Vickers, Micajah 
Vickers, Dan Vickers, Ely Vickers, Willie Vickers and 
H. E. Vickers. 

Matilda Vickers married Dan P. Lott and they have 
the following children: Reason Lott, Mary Jane 
Lott, Lucy Lott, Rebecca Lott, Dan Lott, Daisy Lott, 
Minnie Lott, Ely Lott, Henry Lott, Mattie Lott and 
Aliff Lott. 

Mary Jane Vickers, daughter of Wiley Vickers, mar¬ 
ried John Grantham and had the following children: 
Betty Burkett, E. L. Grantham, C. H. Grantham. Re¬ 
becca married Williams, D. L. Grantham, Johnie Gran¬ 
tham; Nancy married Wolff, Minnie Grantham, Dewey 
Grantham; Mary married Boggan; Ethel married Bell, 
Glennis Grantham and Lucile married Moore. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 


46 


J. J. Vickers married Miss Sumner and liad three 
children: Bronz Vickers, Howard Vickers and Emory 
Vickers. 

E. L. Vickers married Mary Lott and have the follow¬ 
ing children: Olden Vickers, Rebecca Vickers married 
Burl Summerlin and had many sons and daughters. 



REPRESENTATIVES. 

1. J. M. Thrash, 1927-28-29-30. 

2. William Gaskin, 1880-81. 

3. Elias Lott, 1911-12. 

4. Calvin A. Ward, 1905-6-7-8. 

5. John M. Lott, 1873-74. 

6. J. W. Quincey, 1919-20-21-22. 









Ward’s History of Coffee County 


47 


Ely married Lizzie McGovern and had many sons and 
daughters. 

It is worthy of note that Rebecca Vickers, who mar¬ 
ried Jesse Vickers and who later married Ely Vickers 
was left a widow with many sons and daughters. They 
all went to work and she reared all her children in 
credit. She founded Hebron Church and was the 
central figure in that church as long as she lived. She 
sat in a homemade chair, hickory and rawhide bottom, 
for many, many years. When she died this old chair 
was placed up against the wall near the pulpit and 
remained there for many years. 

It is also worthy of note that Rev. John (Jack) her 
oldest son was a prominent preacher in the Primitive 
Church. At last the Hebron Church was divided on 
some question of doctrine and Jack Vickers became 
the leader of one of the factions and for many, many 
years the members of Hebron Church were known as 
“ Jackites. ” 

The Lott Family 

The Lott family came to Georgia from Maryland. 
There were three brothers, Mark, Arthur and one whose 
name I do not know. They settled, first in Bulloch 
County and then came on to Montgomery County. 
Arthur Lott was a prominent man in that day and went 
to the Legislature several times. Later on most of the 
family went to Pearl River, Mississippi. One of the 
brothers, Mark Lott, remained in Montgomery County 
and later died there. His widow, Delilah Lott, and 
several children came on to what is now Coffee County 
and settled exactly on the spot where the old graveyard 
at Lone Hill Church is now located. And strange to 


48 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

say that the same people who settled there about the 
year 1815 are buried within a few feet of where they 
built the first home. At the time the home was built 
Coffee County had not been laid out and that part of 
the county was Telfair County. 

The first generation of the Lott family, as we know 
them were: Mark, Arthur and one other. Neither 
one of these ever lived south of the Ocmulgee River. 
Delilah Lott, the widow of Mark Lott and her family 
were the first to cross the Ocmulgee River. 

The children of the second generation are the chil¬ 
dren of Mark and Delilah Lott, as follows: Daniel 
Lott, Joel Lott, Mark Lott, Betsie Lott, Pennie Lott, 
Polly Lott, Fannie Lott, and Sallie Lott. 

Daniel Lott married Lucy Peterson the first time and 
Fannie Gaskin the last time. By his first wife, Lucy 
Peterson, they had the following children: Mark Lott, 
Elisha Lott, Joel Lott, Daniel Lott, John Lott, Arthur 
Lott, Betsie Lott, Hester Lott, Pink Lott, Narcissus 
Lott, and Martha Lott. 

Following children by his second wife who was 
Fannie Gaskin: Jesse Lott, Elias Lott, David Lott, 
and J. S. Lott. Mark married Charlotte Gaskin; 
Elisha married Pollie Moore; Joel married Bede Vick¬ 
ers ; Daniel married Nancy Wilcox; John married Mary 
Jane Wilcox; Arthur married Eliza Carver; Jesse mar¬ 
ried Mary Douglas; Elias married Tempie Douglas; 
David married Elizabeth Byrd; Betsie married John 
Paulk; Hester married Elias Moore; Pink married 
Benajah Pearson; Narcissus married Billie Meeks; 
Martha married Jack Vickers. 

Betsie Lott married Old John Peterson. Their chil¬ 
dren are: Sallie Peterson married Henry Cato; Eliza 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 


49 


Peterson married Matthew McGovern; Delilah Peterson 
married Youngie Vickers; Alfred Peterson married a 
Cato; Betsie Peterson married Henry Paulk; Hal 
Peterson married Martha Gaskin first. Hal Peterson 
married Martha Turner second; Joel Lott married 
Rhoda Davis; Mark Lott married Araminta Ward; 
Bettie married old man John Peterson. He had been 
married before and had a large family by his first wife. 
Pennie married Stafford Davis; Pollie Lott married 
Jackson Newbern; her children, Daniel, Jack, Mark, 
Bill, and Joe. All but Dan went to Alabama long be¬ 
fore the war, about 1855. The girls are Delilah, she 
married Wash Roberts; Sallie married a Roberts. 
Daniel married Nancy Wilcox and has the following 
children: Mary J. Lott married Elias Hinson; Lucy 
Lott married Thomas Paulk; D. W. Lott married Joe 
Parker’s daughter, Matilda and then Alma Bowers. 
John Lott (Bud) married Janie Kirkland and then 
the widow of Thomas Wilcox, who before her marriage 
to Wilcox was a Dedge. He then married Mrs. Z. I. 
Hatfield; Nancy Lott married Frank Hinson. Follow¬ 
ing are the children of Dan Lott and his first wife 
Lucy Peterson: Betsie, married John Paulk and had 
the following children: John Paulk, Henry Paulk, 
(Rooks) Jodie Paulk, Lucinda Paulk. Hester Lott 
married Elias Moore and had the following children: 
Aaron, married a Doughtery; Arthur married a Ser¬ 
mons, Elias married a Meeks; Dannie married a Kirk¬ 
land two times; Lucy married Fat Charley Meeks; 
Hester married Newt Pafford, her second husband; 
Betsie married Matt Doughtery and then married 
Jesse Pafford; Frances married Jim Overstreet; Polly 
married Alex Meeks; Rebecca married a Shepherd. 


50 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

Pink Pearson, daughter of Dan and Lucy Lott, had 
one child, Bettie, who married Joe Kirkland; Narcis¬ 
sus married Billie Meeks; children as follows: Anna 
Jane Kirkland; Martha married Jack Vickers, the 
preacher and their children, John, Dan and Eli; Dede 
married Elmo Main, (Sis) Avie Jane married a Whit¬ 
ten. Children of Lucy Lott who married Eli Vickers. 
Said Lucy Lott, being a daughter of Elias Lott, had the 
following children: Jack Vickers, H. L. Vickers, W. R. 
Vickers, Micajah Vickers. Mattie, who married a 
Tucker and then married Jim Kirkland; Willis Vick¬ 
ers, Eli Vickers, Dan Vickers, Herbert Vickers. 

Children of Elisha Lott, who married Polly Moore: 
are Polly Lott married J. P. Lott; Bettie Lott mar¬ 
ried Wiley Vickers; Dan Lott, Elisha, John and Joe. 
Sarah Lott married Speed Paulk, Virgil Douglas 
married Lucy Lott. Eli Vickers married Mattie Lott. 
Mary Jane married Johnie Grantham; J. J. Vickers, 
Elisha Vickers and Eli Vickers. Elias Lott, son of 
Dan Lott and Fannie Gaskin married Tempie Douglas 
and have the following children: Mary, who married 
Joe Pafford; Fannie, who married E. R. Cross; Allie, 
who married Jim Jardine; Robert, who married 
Hortense Perkins; D. W. Lott, who married Nettie 
Deen, and James Lott, who married Ruth Barnes. 

J. S. Lott, son of Dan Lott and Fannie Gaskin, mar¬ 
ried Avy Peterson by whom he had the following 
children: Willie Lott, Laura, who married Jim Paulk; 
Mattie, who married W. C. Lankford; Bessie, who mar¬ 
ried Thomas Bailey; J. S. Lott’s second wife was Sallie 
Luke by whom he had the following children: Eunice 
Lott, who married Dr. Alderman; Clinton Lott, who 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 


51 


married Mary Sanders; and Stanford. Lillian Fil- 
lingim was a child by his first wife. 

Daniel Lott married Nancy Wilcox and had the 
following children: Mary J. Lott, who married Elias 
Hinson; Lucy Lott, who married Thomas Paulk; John 
Lott, who married Janie Kirkland and then the widow 
of Thomas Wilcox, who before her marriage to Wilcox 
was a Dedge and then married Mrs. J. I. Hatfield. 
Nancy Lott married Frank Hinson. J. D. Lott, Arthur 
Lott, Dan Lott, Jesse Lott, William Lott, Elisha Lott, 
Wiley Lott, Becca Lott, Lucy Lott, Narcissus Lott, 
Mary Lott. 

John M. Lott, who married Mary Jane Wilcox, had 
the following children: Wash Lott, who married Mary 
Ann Moore; Elizabeth Lott married Johnnie Moore, 
then Dan Peterson, and then J. M. Denton; Lucy Lott 
married Simon Douglas; Rebecca Lott married Dr. M. 
M. Hall and then Thomas Davis; Minnie Lee Lott mar¬ 
ried Frank Sweat and then John Moore; Mary Jane 
Lott married R. Holton. 

Arthur Lott, son of Daniel Lott and Lucy Peterson, 
married Eliza Carver and had the following children: 
Daniel Lott, Elias Lott, Elisha Lott, Dr. J. J. Lott, and 
Arthur Lott, Jr. Eliza Lott married C. D. Kirkland; 
Lucy Lott married Alonzo Paulk; Rebecca married J. 
M. Milhollin and Fannie married Thomas Byrd. 

Jesse Lott, son of Dan Lott by Fannie Gaskin, mar¬ 
ried Mary Douglas and had Mitchell Lott, Tempie Lott, 
who married Perkins; Fannie who married Dr. Googe 
and Maggie who married E. B. Moore and Dora, who 
married R. R. Perkins. 


52 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

The Gaskin Family 

Mr. David Gaskin, Sr., moved from the northern part 
of Coffee County to about three miles south of Doug¬ 
las about 1820; they had the following named children: 
John Gaskin, who married Fannie Lott; Jimmie Gas¬ 
kin, Fannie Gaskin, who married Dan Lott, Sr.; Patsy 
Gaskin, who married Hal Peterson; Martha Gaskin, 
who married Mark Lott; and one who married Godden 
Solomen; and Charlotte Gaskin married John Harper. 

Hal Peterson had the following named children: Dan 
Peterson, Dave Peterson and Henry Peterson. They had 
the following named girls: Fannie Peterson and Bettie 
Peterson. Fannie married Brooks Paulk and Bettie 
Peterson married Richard Lott. Brooks Paulk had the 
following children: John Paulk, Elisha Paulk and 
Roy Paulk. Tish Paulk married William Vickers 
and another girl married Elisha Corbett. John Gas¬ 
kin and Fannie Lott had the following children: 
Delilah Gaskin, who married James Pearson; Sarah 
Gaskin married John Tanner; and Betty Gaskin mar¬ 
ried Harrison Kirkland and later married John 
Trowell. Betty Peterson and Richard Lott had one 
child, a girl, Sarah, who married R. G. Kirkland. Mrs. 
Sarah Tanner had the following children: Berry, 
John, Staten, Joe, Dave, Mary, Elijah, Sarah and Eliza. 

The Paulk Family 

The beginning of the Paulk family in Coffee County 
was Thomas Paulk. He was born March sixth, 1812, 
died 1894. His wife was Nancy Henderson. She was 
seven years older than her husband. She died in, 
1901. She was the mother of Thomas L. Paulk and 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 


53 


Judge Elijah Paulk. These two old brothers, Elijah 
Paulk and Thomas L. Paulk were brave soldiers. 
They followed Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson 
from the start to the finish of the war. Judge Elijah 
Paulk was Ordinary of Coffee County from 1881 to 
1889. 

Thomas L. Paulk represented Coffee County in the 
Legislature in 1905. Thomas L. Paulk married Syman- 
thia Sears and they had the following children: Mary 
Ellen Paulk who married A. T. Howell, Olive Paulk 
married James Dent, Hiram Paulk married a Miss 
McDonald, Dan Paulk married Fannie Lott and Ida 
Paulk married George McCranie. Ola Paulk married 
a Whiddon. 

Judge Elijah Paulk was born in 1843 and married 
Rebecca Lott. His children: Thomas J. Paulk mar¬ 
ried Cora Ketron; Joel Paulk married Malissa New- 
bern; Henry Paulk died; Bessie Paulk married Leon¬ 
ard Tanner; Narcissus married Moses Griffin; Daniel 
Paulk married Minnie King; Lila Paulk married Archie 
Harper; Micajah Paulk married Mary Jane Harper; 
John Paulk married Mary McDonald; Jessie Paulk 
married Sula Dickerson; Aleph Paulk married Osie 
Harper; W. H. Paulk married Bell Roe. 

The Wilcox Family 

The names of the pioneer Wilcoxes that came to 
Coffee County are as follows: 

Tom Wilcox settled on the Ocmulgee River section. 
He married Miss McMillan. They had the following 
children: Jim, John, Tom, George, Mark, Frank, Cabb, 
Jasper, Jack, Elizabeth, (Peggy) or Margaret and 


54 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

Nancy. Only one of the girls married. Elizabeth 
married a Johnson and lived in Appling County. 

John Wilcox married Elizabeth Simmons and they 
had the following children: J. M. Wilcox; Marjorie 
Wilcox, who married Int Cook; Winnie Wilcox, who 
married a Clements in Telfair County. 

John Wilcox, Jr., married Fannie Lott and they 
had the following children: Johnie, Dan and Betty. 
Betty married Major Blunt, Tom Wilcox, George Wil¬ 
cox married a Nash. She lives in Brunswick. Maggie 
married Ive Girtman. They had three children: Jack, 
Tiny and Aliff. 

Tom Wilcox, son of Tom Wilcox, Sr., married a Frier 
and they had the following children: Eliza, who mar¬ 
ried Willie Byrd, Winnie who married Dan Newbern. 
Tom Wilcox No. 2 and his families moved to Missouri 
in 1851. 

George Wilcox married a Hall and they had the fol¬ 
lowing children:' Tom Wilcox, who married a Pick- 
ern, Mary Jane Wilcox married John Lott, Nancy 
(Puss) married Dan Lott, Mattie married Neal Curry, 
Rebecca married Dr. Lott, John Wilcox married Maniza 
Holten, Piety Wilcox married Lewis Yonn. John 
Wilcox and Maniza Holten had several sons and 
daughters. 

George Wilcox or (Bud) married a Holten and had 
one child. 

Mark Wilcox married a Lott and had the following 
children: Joe Wilcox, Lewis C. Wilcox, Fannie Wil¬ 
cox, who married John Denton, Ellen who married J. 
R. Smith, Elmira, who married Joe Ellis. 

Dr. Jeff Wilcox married Mary Anne Henson. 

Tom Wilcox married a Dedge. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 


55 


John Wilcox, Sr., whose second wife was Fannie 
Lott, has the following children: Johnnie, who married 
Eliza Harper and had the following children: Joe 
Wilcox, Dan Wilcox, married a Currey and had the 
following children: Maud and Annie. The boy was 
Buddie. 

J. M. Wilcox married Mary Wooten. They had the 
following children: Mary (Sweet), Virginia (Pet), 
Tiny, and “Shug,” who married William Denton. Mar¬ 
vin Wilcox married Miss Heald. 

The second wife of J. M. Wilcox was Emma Pickren. 
They had the following children: William, Monroe and 
Kate. 

Tom Wilcox married Elizabeth Gaskin. They had 
the following children: Fannie, who married Jim 
Edenfield. Cora Bell, who married John Vickers. 
Catherine, who married Willie Fortune, and Georgia, 
who married Wilie Boyd. 

Jack Wilcox married a Rodenberry. They had 
the following children: Robert Wilcox and several 
other boys. 

Frank Wilcox, Sr., married a Simmons. They had 
the following children: Jack, Henry and Lewis. 

DeKalb Wilcox married Elizabeth Tanner. They had 
the following children: Pate Wilcox, Colonel E. K. 
Wilcox and two girls. One married B. H. Cribb. 

The Ward and Hargraves Families 

About the year 1800 Priscilla Gibbs Ward Hargraves 
(“Mother Jones”) and her six boys landed in what is 
now Coffee County, Georgia, and settled on the Seven¬ 
teen Mile Creek. “Mother Jones” was not the real 


56 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

name of this pioneer woman. Her maiden name was 
Priscilla Gibbs, of the State of Maryland, daughter of 
Abram Gibbs, who was a brother to the ancestor of Wil¬ 
liam G. McAdoo. 

Miss Gibbs was a fine looking and well educated 
young woman. Eary in life she married James Ward 
of Roberson County, North Carolina. As the fruits 
of her marriage with Ward she had three sons, James 
Preston Ward, Joab Ward, and Abram Ward. While 
these boys were quite small their father, James Ward, 
died and in the common course of human events Mrs. 
Ward was married to an Englishman by the name of 
John Hargraves. She had three sons for Hargraves, 
Abram, Jack, and Tom; hence it will be seen that her 
real name was Priscilla Ward Hargraves, but she was 
always known as “Mother Jones” after she came to 
Georgia. She lived and died under that name. 

The story in the change of her name is a romantic 
one. When the Revolutionary War closed and our 
trade relations with England were resumed Mr. Har¬ 
graves, her husband, wished to return to England, and 
make that his home. To this proposition his wife inter¬ 
posed serious objections; but as the years went on, Mr. 
Hargraves was making his plans to return to England. 

About the year 1800 his plans had matured and he 
was ready to take his wife and children to Charleston, 
South Carolina, and take passage for England. His 
wife refused point blank to go. Then he insisted that 
she let him take his three boys with him back to Eng¬ 
land. This she refused to do. 

Mr. Hargraves, being fully determined to return to 
England and, if possible, to take his children with him, 
sought legal advice how he might get possession of the 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 57 

children, and take them with him. So he left on a trip 
of several weeks to Charleston, South Carolina, to per¬ 
fect his plans for returning to England. 

About this time immigration had started toward 
South Georgia. People were coming from Virginia, 
North Carolina and South Carolina, down by way of 
Augusta, Georgia, settling Burke, Montgomery and 
Tattnall Counties as far south as the Ocmulgee River. 

Mrs. Hargraves conceived the idea that she could 
take her six boys and fall in line with these settlers, for 
the south, and forever lose herself and her children, 
in the wilds of this new country in the Wiregrass. 

At the time “Mother Jones” came to Georgia there 
were very few white people in what is now Coffee 
County. All this territory was owned and occupied by 
the Creek Indians. Only a few brave pioneers had dared 
to cross the Ocmulgee River and settle on the south 
side. There was a small settlement on the south side of 
the river, consisting of McRaes, Ashleys, and others; 
but “Mother Jones” not only crossed the Ocmulgee and 
came on the South side into the territory owned by the 
Creek Indians, but she passed on by the settlement 
named above, and came on thirty miles south, built 
a little log home on what is now lot of land 317 in the 
Sixth District of Coffee County, Georgia, being about 
five miles east of Douglas, and is now owned by Judge 
Levi O’Steen. When “Mother Jones” arrived she had 
six boys, two horses and a two-horse load of such stuff 
as pioneers usually took with them to make a start in 
a new country. “Mother Jones” and her boys went 
to work building a log house, set it on the dirt, and 
put clay floor in it. The roof was made with boards 
about four feet long, carefully laid on small poles for 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 


58 

rafters and on top of the boards was laid a good size 
sapling pole with weight enough to hold all the boards 
in place. They got their water about two hundred 
yards west from the house, from a spring, and they 
obtained fire by the old flint and steel process. Cotton, 
or cotton rags, were singed and placed in a cow’s horn, 



REPRESENTATIVES. 

1. Willie Vickers, 1886-1887. 

2. C. E. Stewart, 1913-1914-1915-1916-17-18. 

3. Daniel Lott, 1896-1897. 

4. Thomas L. Paulk, 1902-3-4. 

5. Dr. D. H. Meeks, 1923-1924. 

6. J. R. Smith, 1859-1860-1868-1869-1870. 












Ward’s History of Coffee County 


59 


to cut the air off, and then with flint and steel sparks 
of fire were knocked on the cotton, and thus fire was ob¬ 
tained, and thus “Mother Jones” and her six boys 
began life as pioneers in Wiregrass Georgia, now Coffee 
County. 


The Meeks Family 

About the year 1820 Charles C. Meeks, Hymrick 
Meeks and Miss Tempie Meeks moved from Emanuel 
County to Coffee County and settled on a farm and 
built a water mill about two miles north of Nicholls. 
Of course there was no Nicholls at that time. Before 
coming to Coffee County, Charles C. Meeks married 
Miss Lydia Ryner of Emanuel County. They had the 
folowing children: Willoughby Meeks, Hymrick 
Meeks, Merritt Meeks, Billy Meeks, Simpson Meeks and 
Charlie Meeks. The girls were Eliza Ann Meeks, and 
Mary Ann Meeks. 

Hymrick Meeks married Martha Davis, a daughter 
of Stafford Davis, Sr. Their children were Merritt 
Meeks, Stafford Meeks, Martha Jane Meeks, Sarah Ann 
Meeks, Lydia Meeks, Hymrick Meeks, Bryant Meeks 
and Elijah Meeks. 

Merritt Meeks married Mary Ann Morrison, a sister 
of Rev. Daniel Morrison and had the following chil¬ 
dren: Malcolm Meeks, John Meeks, Mary Jane Meeks, 
Rev. Hymrick Meeks, Mary Ann Meeks, Merritt (Bud) 
Meeks, Frank Meeks, and Daniel Meeks. 

Billy Meeks married Narcissus Lott and had the fol¬ 
lowing children: Charlie Meeks, Mary Jane Meeks, 
Gray Meeks, Jesse Meeks, Billie Meeks, Laura Meeks, 
and Sarah Meeks. 


60 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

Simpson Meeks married Mary Roberts and had the 
following children: Charles Meeks, Sarah Meeks, Gray 
Meeks, Jesse Meeks, Lydia Meeks and Laura Meeks. 

Charles W. Meeks, the youngest son, married Lucy 
Moore, a daughter of Elias Moore, who lived in the 
extreme western part of the county. This family con¬ 
sisted of three sons and six daughters. It is worthy of 
note that Lucy, the widow of Charles W. Meeks, is the 
only surviving one of the second generation living, 
now well past eighty and the mother of Dr. D. H. 
Meeks. Lydia married A. F. Thomas, Mattie married 
a Mr. Lee, her second marriage. 

Mary A. Meeks, a daughter, was married first to Gray 
Roberts. Her second marriage was to T. N. Cady, 
who was at that time Sheriff of Coffee County. To 
them were born two sons and three daughters. 

Eliza Ann Meeks married C. W. Dedge and lived 
near the old home. To them were born three sons and 
four daughters. 

Rev. Malcolm Meeks, a son of Merritt Meeks and 
Mary Ann Morrison, married Elizabeth Tanner and 
they have the following children: Melvin Meeks, 
Elisha Meeks, Charlie Meeks, Albert Meeks, Malcolm 
Meeks, George Meeks, Gray Meeks. The daughters are 
Abbie Meeks, who married Phillip Newbern, Laura 
Meeks, who married Leonard Burkett, Mae Meeks, who 
married Screven Cole, and Maggie, who married Joe 
Starling. Elizabeth Meeks married J. R. Gardner. 

John Meeks, a son of Merritt Meeks and Mary Ann 
Morrison, married Rebecca Douglas, a daughter of 
Dunk Douglas. Their children are : Willie Meeks, Elisha 
Meeks, Lonnie Meeks and Jesse Meeks. His daughters 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 


61 


are Mary Jane Meeks, Maggie Meeks, Tempie Meeks 
and Minnie Meeks. 

Merritt (Bud) Meeks married Elmira Waters and 
have the following children: Gilbert Meeks, Marvin 
Meeks, Julian Meeks, Loyd Meeks, and Cora Meeks, 
Effie Meeks, and Fleeta Meeks. 

Rev. H. M. Meeks married Mattie Hall and they 
have the following children: Dan Meeks, Frank 
Meeks, Burton Meeks, Leon Meeks, Spurgeon Meeks, 
Irsa Meeks, Albert Meeks, Lucy Meeks, Ethel Meeks 
and Frances Meeks. 

Daniel Meeks married Carrie Gaskin. They have the 
following children: Wesley Meeks, Earley Meeks, 
Lula Meeks, Dorcus Meeks and Joe Meeks. 

Frank Meeks married Linnie Duren and they have 
the following children: Mary Ann Meeks, Aleph 
Meeks, Annie Meeks, Bessie Meeks, Pearl Meeks, Ruby 
Meeks, Malcom Meeks and Shafter Meeks. 

Rev. Hymrick Meeks, son of old Hymrick Meeks, mar¬ 
ried Bettie Kirkland and had the following children : 
Elisha Meeks, Oliver Meeks, Mintie Meeks, Penney 
Meeks, Mae Meeks and Fannie Meeks.- 

Mary Ann Meeks, daughter of Merritt Meeks and 
Mary Ann Morrison, married Joshua A. Dent. They 
have the following children: Walter Dent, who mar¬ 
ried Elda Lewis, Neila Dent, who married M. King and 
Ira Dent, who married Sarah Thrasher. Lula Dent 
died young. 

Stafford Meeks, son of Hymrick Meeks married a 
Miss Waters. They have the following children: 
Frank Meeks, Andrew J. Meeks and Archie Meeks. 
Lila Meeks, who married Mose Kirkland. Viola, who 
married Jake Foreman. Mattie married Henry Davis. 


62 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

Willoughby Meeks married Lizzie Taylor. They 
have the following children: Willoughby (Willie) 
who married Eliza Taylor. Redding married Eliza 
Tanner. Will married Nancy Taylor. Mack never mar¬ 
ried. Burrell never married. Angel married Ben Tes- 
ton. Eliza Jane married Tal Taylor. Lydia married 
Zeck Teston. Delphia Ann married John Lassiter. 

Warren G. Meeks is a son of Merritt Meeks and 
Emily Tanner. His brothers and sisters are Martha 
Jane, who married Bill Minchew; Mattie, who married 
Mich Lewis; Hymrick died young in life. Warren G. 
Meeks married Emma Newbern. 

Mary Ann Meeks married Gray Roberts and later 
married T. N. Cady. 

Her Roberts children are as follows: Georgia Ann, 
who married Staff Davis. Eliza Ann, who married 
Sam Lee. Sarah Ann, who married Rube Taylor. John 
married Barbara Denton. Jesse died young. Her Cady 
children are as follows: Mark married Minnie Cole, 
Tom married Christian Vining, Lilah married a Mr. 
Henson, and Zona married. 

Eliza Ann who married C. W. Dedge had the follow¬ 
ing children: Mary Ann married Wesley Ricketson, 
Ellen married Asbury Boyd, Lydia married Tom Wil¬ 
cox, Lula married a Mr. Mobley, Dr. James Dedge 
married Martha Wells and Joe was killed early in life. 

Lydia Meeks married A. F. Thomas. They have the 
following children : Henry M. Thomas, Nellie Thomas, 
Ben Thomas, Andrew Thomas, Harley Thomas, W. J. 
Thomas, Ella Thomas. 

Charles W. Meeks, who married Lucy Moore, had 
following children: Tennessee married Jeff Bennett, 
Mattie married a Mr. Lee, Eliza Ann married Tom Lee 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 


63 


and she died soon after. Elias married Priscilla Denton, 
Roan married Cassey Bennett, Elisha died before he 
married, Dr. Dan Meeks married Rila Bagley. 

Penney Meeks married Bunk Tanner and they have 
the following children: Walter Tanner, George W. 
Tanner, Marshall Tanner, William, Mattie and Idell, 
married Duddley Bunn; and Dora who married A. C. 
Blalock and Mamie who married Dave Gillis. 

Charles F. Meeks, who married Dorcas Douglas, had 
the following children: Jeff Meeks, Amos Meeks and 
Mattie, who married Eland Brooker. His second wife 
was Mrs. Baker. They have the following children: 
Emmett, Clarence, Lois, Legrand, Dorsey, Truit and 
Kenneth Meeks. 

Bryant Meeks, son of Hymrick Meeks and Martha 
Davis, married a Williams and they have the following 
children: George, Mattie and Aleph. 

Elisha A. Meeks, son of H. Meeks, who has been effi¬ 
cient postmaster of Nicholls for sixteen years. Through 
his faithfulness to duty he has attained to prominence 
in his line of service and now fills the office of President 
of The National League of Postmasters of America, 
which office he fills with honor and distinction. 

The Kirkland Family 

The Kirklands are of Scotch descent and came to 
Coffee County from South Carolina about the year 
1810. There were three brothers, a half brother and 
one sifter. Mose Kirkland married Peggy Carver, 
settled on the east side of the Seventeen Mile Creek 
about seven miles from Douglas. Timothy Kirkland 
married a Holiday and settled in the southwest part of 


64 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

Coffee County. Josh Kirkland married a Fender and 
settled on the east side of Seventeen Mile Creek about 
six miles from Douglas. The sister, Zylphia, married 
James Preston Ward and settled on a pine ridge about 
eight miles east of Douglas, between Otter and Tiger 
Creeks. The half brother was Archie Miller. 

Mose Kirkland had the following named children: 
Mose Kirkland, Jr., Zenus Kirkland, Joshua Kirkland, 
Tim Kirkland, who was killed in the Civil War. Man¬ 
ning Kirkland, who was killed by the deserters about 
the close of the war. The girls were Roxie Ann, who 
married Joe Davis, Elizabeth married Elijah Tanner, 
Sr. 

Josh Kirkland had the following named children: 
Josh Kirkland, Jr., J. C. (Kyler) Kirkland, and David 
Kirkland. The girls were Mrs. Duren, Alice, who mar¬ 
ried Kyler Kirkland, Creasy who married Doc. Smith, 
Josh Kirkland, Jr., married Margaret Fales, and Mose 
Kirkland married Eliza Tanner, Zenus Kirkland mar¬ 
ried Penny Gaskin, Tim Kirkland married Rebecca 
Thomas, Manning Kirkland never married. 

Timothy Kirkland had the following children: Mack 
Kirkland, who married a Bailey, William Kirkland, 
who married Susan Hilliard, Joe Kirkland, who mar¬ 
ried a Pearsons, Ben Kirkland. 

Zylphia Kirkland married James Preston Ward and 
had the following named children : Jackson Ward, 
who married Sallie Davis, C. A. Ward, Sr., who mar¬ 
ried Zylphia Ward, W. W. Ward married Sarah Ann 
Spikes. The girls, Sallie, Nancy, Amanda, Arminta, 
Priscilla, Elizabeth, Hester, and Desdemona. Sallie 
married Sam Thomas and moved to Florida before the 
Civil War. Nancy married a Mr. Yates and moved 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 


65 


away and was lost sight of. She probably went to 
Florida. Amanda married Zeke Thomas and moved 
to Florida. Arminta married Mark Lott. Priscilla 
married Sam Denton, she was the mother of Jim Den¬ 
ton, John Denton, and Bill Denton, and died early in 
life. Elizabeth married James Graham. She is the 
mother of Mrs. Doctor W. F. Sibbett. Hester married 
Hamp Tanner. Desdemona never married. 

Abram Ward, the brother of James Preston Ward, 
moved to Florida early in life where many of his 
generation now live. 

James Preston Ward reared a grandson, John F. 
Ward. He married Sarah Hilliard. They had three 
boys: James Franklin Ward, Warren Preston Ward 
and John Ward. 

Timothy Kirkland had the following children: Mac 
Kirkland married a Bailey, William Kirkland married 
Susan Hilliard, Joe Kirkland, who married a Pearson, 
Ben Kirkland, who married an Adams, Jim Kirkland 
married a Solomons, Harrison Kirkland and Ive Kirk¬ 
land. 

Joe Kirkland, who married a Pearson, had the fol¬ 
lowing children: Kyler Kirkland, Benajah Kirkland, 
Jeff Kirkland, Lock Kirkland, Jud Kirkland and Doll 
Kirkland. The girls were Janie, Laura, “Dub” Dory- 
ann, Lucy and Elmer. 

Ive Kirkland married Sarah Lott and has the follow¬ 
ing children: Lizzie Kirkland, who married Wiley 
Byrd, Jr., and Dora Ann Kirkland, who married Rus¬ 
sell B. Leggett. William Kirkland married Susan 
Hilliard and has the following children: Mattie, who 
married Ben Summerlin, Doctor T. J. Kirkland, who 
married a Sears, Pate, who married E. B. Wilden, 


66 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

Estell, who married Joe Gaskins, Leila, who married 
Decocrat Wynn, and Ella, who married John Surmans. 

The Tanner Family 

Green Tanner, Elijah Tanner and Hampton Tanner. 
These three brothers had two sisters; Betty Tanner, 
who married Jesse Carter and lived in Appling County. 
Elizabeth Tanner married Jim Taylor and also lived in 
Appling County. 

Elijah Tanner, the oldest brother, married Emily 
Mimms and they had the following children: Melvin 
Tanner, Sr., Fred Tanner, Monroe Tanner and three 
girls; Lydia Ann Tanner, who married Warren Taylor, 
Betty Tanner, who married DeKalb Wilcox and Eliza 
Tanner, who married Redding Meeks. Betty Tanner, 
who married DeKalb Wilcox, has the following chil¬ 
dren: Pate Wilcox, who married Tempie Ward, E. K. 
Wilcox, who married Minnie Reliham; Fred Tanner 
married Margaret Davis, and they had the following 
children: Melvin Tanner (Supt. County Schools), Clif¬ 
ton Tanner, Elmore and Leon Tanner, Mattie Tanner, 
who married Josh Dubose and Minnie, who married K. 
K. Bledsoe. 

B. H. Tanner, first sheriff of Coffee County, married 
Eliza Taylor and they had the following children: 
Elijah Tanner, John Tanner, Bunk and Lydia. Lydia 
married Mose Kirkland, Emily married Joe Trowel. 
Elijah Tanner, Jr., son of Hamp Tanner (who went 
to the Georgia Legislature), had the following chil¬ 
dren: Warren Tanner, (Bud married a Davis, Eliz¬ 
abeth married Malcolm Meeks, John Tanner (Mudge) 
married Hester Ward and the last time he mar- 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 


67 


ried Bessie Paulk. Tom (Booge) Tanner married 
Miss Wall, B. IT. Tanner married Rose Sears and 
had the following children: E. L. Tanner, Elie Tanner, 
Carl Tanner, Rilze Tanner, Hiram Tanner and Julian 
Tanner. John Tanner, son of Hamp Tanner, married 
Sarah Gaskin, and they had the following children: 
Berry H. Tanner, John Tanner, Staten Tanner, Elijah 
Tanner, Dan Tanner and Mary Tanner, who married 
John Youngblood. Bunk Tanner, son of Hamp Tanner, 
married Penny Meeks and they had the following 
children: (Babe) J. H. Tanner, who married Mary 
Denton, George, Walter, Marshall and Mattie Tanner, 
who married Nas Young. 

Green Tanner married Elminie Hall and they had 
these children: Emily, married Merritt Meeks, Mary 
married William Gill, Lucyndia married John Burkett, 
Delilah Tanner, married Moses Kirkland, (Cylia) Mose, 
Rhuban (Coot) married Susie Nettles. Syndia Tanner 
married Martha Taylor, sister of Rev. Green Taylor. 
Manning Tanner married Zelphia Ellis. Barney Tan¬ 
ner married Mary Ann Davis. Thad Tanner married 
Vicey Girtman. 

The following is a list of the sons of John Tanner, 
Sr., with their wives. 

Berry Tanner married Nine Davis. John Tanner, 
Jr., married a Miss Youngblood. Dave Tanner married 
Mattie McClelland. Joe Tanner married Ida McClel¬ 
land. Dan Tanner married Renna Thompson Godbold. 
Elijah Tanner married Betty Davis. Staten Tanner 
married Jimmie Belle Smith. John Tanner had two 
girls: Liza Tanner married Abe Owens and they live 
in Texas. Sarah Tanner married Archie Meeks. 


68 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

Sheriff W. M. Tanner married Melian Thomas and 
they have the following children: B. W. Tanner mar¬ 
ried Ursula Dent, Lucy Tanner married Tom Wilcox, 
J. M. Tanner married Addie Cole, D. W. Tanner mar¬ 
ried Emma Ellis, W. M. Tanner, Jr., married Martha 
Jane Meeks, A. F. Tanner married Lou Baker, Maggie 
Tanner married June Baker; Mary Jane Tanner mar¬ 
ried Jeff Lewis, Eula Tanner married S. S. Baker. 

Old man Russell Tanner married a Miss Taylor and 
they had the following children: Yicey Tanner, who 
married Jesse Taylor, Nancy Tanner, who married 
Henry Jordon. Dacy and Jinsey Tanner never married. 
Chappel Tanner married a Thomas, Russell Tanner 
married Maria Hand, William (Sheriff Bill) Tanner 
married Melian Thomas. 

The Burkett Family 

Billie Burkett and his wife came from South Carolina 
and settled on the Ocmulgee River, now known as 
Burkett’s Ferry, about 1800. They have the following 
children: Two sons by his first wife; Bartillery Burk¬ 
ett and Robert Burkett. His second wife was a Miss 
Dyal. They have the following children: William 
Burkett, Enos Burkett, Texas Burkett, Dock Burkett 
and one girl, Missouri, who married a Mr. Wright. 
William Burkett married Sarah Powers, Enos Burkett 
married a Ryals. His second wife was Betty Grantham 
and they have the following children: Carleen, Wilma, 
Quincey, Lura, Marine, E. H. Mozell, Coolege and 
Betty Dean. 

Texas Burkett married a Davis; Dock Burkett mar¬ 
ried a Miss Johnson. All these Burketts lived in Coffee 
County on the Ohmulgee River Section. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 


69 


Bartillery Burkett married Viney Taylor and they 
had the following children: Bartillery Burkett, who 
married Tom Denton, Emily Burkett married Bill Tay¬ 
lor and they had the following children: Kev. Sebe 
Taylor and Nancy Taylor and she married Boss 
Burkett. Mary Jane Burkett married Joe Hays and 
they had the following children: Lyman Hays, Angel 
Burkett who married Joe Ward and they have the fol¬ 
lowing children: Emma Jane Ward, who married Tim 
Kirkland, Jack Ward who married Percy Ward, who 
was a Peterson; Vinney Ward married Johnie Denton, 
Tom Ward married a Newbern, Calvin Ward married 
a Miss Carter, Sarah Ward married Will Martin, Gay 
Ward married Bud Young. Angel Burkett also had 
these children: Tom R. Burkett, who married Martha 
Ward, Leonard Burkett, who married Laura Meeks, 
and Mary J. Burkett. Penny Ward is not married. 

John Burkett, son of Bartillery Burkett, married 
Lucinda Tanner and they have the following children: 
Bartillery Burkett, who married Carrie Woods, Lucinda 
married “Jug” Douglas, Johnie Burkett married a 
Martin, Lige married an Ellis, Linnie married Jule 
Wilcox, Emmie married Mark Hall, Minnie married 
Lyman Hays, and Mintie Burkett married George Prid¬ 
gen. 

Ellen Burkett, daughter of Bartillery Burkett, mar¬ 
ried John Thomas, and they had the following chil¬ 
dren: Bartow, Wesley, Tom and Mary who were twins, 
Tom Thomas married a Ridgon, Dave Thomas married 
a Lassiter. 

Bartillery (Bud) Burkett married Mary Jane Meeks 
and they have the following children: Eliza married 
Matthew Towns; Sophronia married Jack Ellis, Ida 


70 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

married Joe (Bud) Ellis, Noah Burkett married Clif¬ 
ford Fortune, Elisha Burkett is not married, Preston 
Burkett married Annie Gillis; Nealey married Dewey 
Ellis, Naomi married Robert Hale, Gray Burkett mar¬ 
ried Ruby Cashwell. 

Angel married a Lewis, Jack married a Courson and 
they have the following children: Maggie, Mary and 
John. Maggie Burkett married E. A. Meeks, Mary 
Burkett married Charlie Moore and John Burkett is 
not married. 

The Carver Family 

About the year 1810 the Carver family came to what 
is now Coffee County from South Carolina. There 
were two old men, probably cousins. One was Samp 
Carver and the other was Sammie Carver. Sampie 
Carver was the father of Rev. Bill Carver, well known 
Baptist preacher who lived in Coffee County, about 
the close of the Civil War. Sammie Carver had a sis¬ 
ter named Peggy, who married old man Mose Kirkland, 
Sr. Old man Samuel Carver was the father of Sol 
Carver, Braz Carver, Gabe Carver, Jim Carver, Lige 
Carver, Silas Carver and John Carver. 

Jim Carver, Sr., was the father of Joe Carver, Allen 
Carver, Pink Carver, Jesse Carver and Vincent Carver. 
Jim Carver had the following named girls: Boyce, 
who married William Gaskin, Eliza Carver married 
Arthur Lott, one married Hiriam Davis, Hulda Carver 
married Tom Minix, and Sarah Carver married Eliga 
Purvis. 

John Carver married a Metts. He had two sons, 
Josh Carver and Jesse Carver. He had the following 
girls: Patsy, Bede, who married Joe Cato, Eliza, who 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 


71 


married Jack Levins, Millie married a McCall, Mary 
married a Howard. 

Sammie Carver, Sr., was the father of a girl named 
Nancy, who was the mother of S. M. Harrell, prominent 
farmer of Coffee County. 

The Sapp Family 

Enoch Sapp came to Georgia from Virginia and 
married Ruth Barr. Their children were: John Sapp, 
Henry Sapp, Joseph Sapp, Enoch Sapp, Levi Sapp. 

John Sapp married Gemima Cato. Their children 
were: Henry Sapp, John Sapp, Dan Sapp, Dave Sapp, 
Sarah Sapp, Bettie Sapp. . 

Henry Sapp married Delila Cato. Their children 
were: John Sapp, Henry Sapp, Enoch Sapp, Mary 
Sapp, Sarah Sapp, Fannie Sapp. 

Joseph Sapp married Sallie Booth. Their children 
were: Mary Sapp, Nancy Sapp, E. S. Sapp, M. C. Sapp, 
H. W. Sapp, G. M. Sapp, Christian Sapp, Tempie 
Sapp. 

Enoch Sapp married Martha Smith. Their children 
were: Elias, John, Jim, Henry, Richard, Tom and 
Missouri. 

Levi Sapp married Sarah Solomon. Their children 
were: William, Fannie, Joe, Tilden and Ruth. 


72 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

Priscilla Ward (Jones) and Her Ward 
Boys 

James Preston 'Ward was the oldest of the Ward 
boys. He was about fifteen years old when he came 
to Georgia. About the year 1813 he was married to 
Miss Zylphia Kirkland. She was the only sister of 
Moses, Timothy, and Joshua Kirkland, and the half 
sister of Archie Miller. With this marriage began the 
relationship of the Wards and Kirklands, and their 
generations. To them were born three boys and eight 
girls. The boys were Jackson, Calvin Augustus, and 
Walton W. Ward. The girls were Sallie, Nancy, 
Amanda, Arminta, Priscilla, Elizabeth, Hester and 
Desdemona. Sallie married Sam Thomas and moved 
to Florida before the Civil War. Nancy married Mr. 
Yates and moved away and was lost sight of. Amanda 
married Zeke Thomas and moved to Florida before 
the Civil War. Priscilla married Sam Denton and 
died early in life. Arminta married Mark Lott and 
lived and died in Coffee County. Hester married Hamp 
Tanner and lived and died in Coffee County. Desde¬ 
mona, the youngest girl, never married. Elizabeth 
married James Graham and recently died at the age 
of ninety-four years. 

Abram Ward, the second son of “Mother Jones,’’ 
was named for Abram Gibbs, father of “Mother 
Jones.” Early in life he moved to Florida and his 
generation now live in Bradford, Alachua, and 
LaFayette Counties. 

Joab Ward, the youngest son, married a Miss Carver 
and had several sons and one daughter. The sons 
were, old man Billy Ward, a doctor and a Baptist 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 


73 


preacher, who lived and died in Coffee County. Josh 
Ward and Abram Ward who moved to Florida long 
before the Civil War. Most of the Wards and their 
generations continued to live in Coffee County and 
many of the young ones are here now. 

James Preston Ward reared and educated a grand¬ 
son whose name was John Franklin Ward. He married 
Sarah A. Hilliard and they had three boys, James 
Franklin Ward, Warren Preston Ward, and John C. 
Ward. 

James Franklin Ward married Minta Kirkland, 
Warren Preston Ward married Annie Canova and 
they had the following children: George, Frank, Pres¬ 
ton, Annie, Neele and Ward; John C. Ward married 
Maud Wilcox. 

I have already told you that “Mother Jones” had 
six boys; three Wards and three Hargraves; James 
Preston Ward was the oldest Ward boy and Abram 
Hargraves was the oldest Hargraves. All these boys 
lived with their mother where she first settled until 
one by one married and made homes of their own. 

About the year 1824, Abram Hargraves married 
Rhoda Carver, the daughter of Samson Carver; they 
had four boys and six girls. The boys were John, 
Abram, Christopher, and Sydney. The girls were 
Mary, Teresa, Linnie, Lucinda, Susan and Feraby. 
Mary married Honorable W. M. Denton; Feraby mar¬ 
ried Major John M. Spence of Ware County, and died 
young; Linnie married George Moody of Clinch Coun¬ 
ty, and lived to be very old; Lucinda married Thomas 
Sweat of Ware County; Susan married Jonathan L. 
Morgan and lived to be eighty-two years of age; and 
Teresa married Capt. Cuyler W. Hilliard of Ware 


74 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

County. John Hargraves married a Miss Parthenia 
Morgan from Echols County; early in life he moved to 
Florida and died there in 1876. Abram Hargraves, Jr., 
married first Mary McDonald, daughter of Col. Wil¬ 
liam A. McDonald, and had two children, Leon and 
Bartow. Leon was the father of Col. Leon Hargraves 
of Pearson, Ga. Bartow lives near Waresboro. He 
married Laura Williamson in England while on a busi¬ 
ness trip over there. Sydney married Miss Mary Lott. 
Christopher married Ellen Roberts. 

Tom Hargraves married a Miss Beverly and lived 
near Millwood, in Ware County, Georgia. He reared 
a large family of boys and girls. Many of his de- 
scendents live in that county now. 

The other two Hargraves boys, Jack and Tom, were 
twins. Jack never married. He settled in Ware 
County, near where Bickley is now located. He built 
the old mill-dam now owned by Hon. William Denton. 
He had a good farm there, owned slaves and operated 
a farm in connection with his water mill. He lived to 
be an old man and died at his home in Ware County. 

Priscilla Ward-Hargraves died about 1846, and was 
buried on the hill where she and her boys landed 
more than forty years before. Her grave is not 
marked. The year 1914, Prof. Gibbs, of Tennessee, 
a relative of “Mother Jones,” was here and sought 
to find the location of her grave. He had a family 
tree showing the relation between “Mother Jones,” 
himself and W. G. McAdoo, on the Gibbs’ side of the 
family. 

The grave of “Mother Jones” is about one hundred 
yards southeast of the head of the Spring Branch near 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 


75 


where the saw mill of William Dent was located in 
1869. 

Abram Hargraves 

“Mother Jones” was right, when she decided that 
her husband, John Hargraves, who had deserted her 
while living in North Carolina, went back to Eng¬ 
land ; by the time she and her six boys reached the 
Wiregrass Country, in Georgia, John Hargraves had 
landed at his old home in England, and was rapidly 
adding to his fortune already accumulated. In the 
course of time, “Mother Jones’ ” six boys married and 
made homes for themselves. 

I have already told you that Abram Hargraves 
married Rhody Carver, and that they had ten children; 
four boys and six girls. Soon after Abram was mar¬ 
ried, he settled on a farm on the west side of the 
Seventeen-Mile Creek, about eighteen miles southeast 
of Douglas, Ga. Mr. Hargraves was a thrifty farmer, 
had plenty of land, and plenty of stock, and he also 
owned some slaves and in a short time he had ac¬ 
cumulated considerable property. In fact, he was 
considered a wealthy man. Soon after he married, an 
inquiry came from the Bank of Savannah, Georgia, 
from the banks of England for information about 
Abram Hargraves; through them he learned that his 
father was dead and had left a large estate and that 
an annuity of several thousand dollars, in gold, was due 
him at once, and every year the sarn^rniTOTmt would 
be paid him through the banks of Savannah, Georgia; 
and so about once a year, Mr. Hargraves and some of 
his neighbors went to Savannah by private convey¬ 
ance to sell their produce, lay in supplies for their 
farm, and at the same time Mr. Hargraves collected 


76 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

his interest. It required about a week’s time to go 
to Savannah and return, with horse and cart. Some¬ 
times they had trouble with water courses, which they 
had to cross. 

A good many stories are told about Mr. Hargraves 
and his trips to Savannah. He had grown up among 
the Creek Indians in the Wiregrass Country and had 
many of their habits of life. He wore a homespun 
shirt, carried a shot bag over his shoulders, a powder 
horn around his waist, and did not, in any way, have 
the appearance of being a well-to-do farmer. It is 
said that on one of his trips to Savannah, Mr. Har¬ 
graves went to the stables to buy a horse; when he 
priced the horse the stock man looked at him and 
said, “I will sell you this horse for $100.00, with good 
security, or $50.00 cash.” The man looked at Mr. 
Hargraves as he emphasized the word “Cash.” Mr. 
Hargraves returned the hard look, as he said, “Cash 
it shall be,” and ran his hand into his shot bag and 
pulled out fifty shining dollars in gold. There was 
plenty more where that came from. 

Mr. Hargraves was a very industrious man, worked 
himself and made a good plow hand in the field, as 
long as he lived. 

Another amusing story is told about Mr. Hargraves, 
it is as follows: It is said that Mr. Ivey Kirkland, at 
this time a prosperous merchant of Douglas, Georgia, 
went to see the daughter of Mr. Hargraves. Mr. Kirk¬ 
land was diked up in Sunday style. Mr. Hargraves 
asked the young man if he would not like to go with 
him to the woods and see his fine hogs. Mr. Kirkland 
did not know how to refuse and so he went. Mr. 
Hargraves took him through the woods, through the 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 


77 


branches, through the muddy bays, and at last back 
to the Hargraves’ home where lie was gladly welcomed 
by the young lady whom he was courting. Mr. Kirk¬ 
land was a sight to behold. His shoes were muddy, 
and his pants torn. He looked more like a man who 
had spent a week in the woods, than like a young 
merchant from Douglas out courting a country girl. 

The war came on and he and his sons-in-law did 
their duty in that trying time. When the war was 
over, a call came to Mr. Hargraves from the banks of 
England that $70,000.00 in gold had been placed to 
his credit in the bank and that it was up to him to 
go or send to England for the money. 


78 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 


A List of Some Old People of Coffee 
County Married More Than Fifty 
Years Ago 

Jake Anderson and L. Bowen married June 2nd, 
1874. William Adams and Susan Harrell married 
July 20th, 1879. Texas Burkett and Ann Davis mar¬ 
ried May 6th, 1873. Charles C. Burrows and Anna 
Solomon married May 19th, 1871. Joe Bailey and 
Mary Pearson married April 12th, 1871. Tharp Bailey 
and Mary A. Ricketson married June 4th, 1874. Wiley 
Byrd and S. S. Creech married February 23, 1873. 
Joel W. Brooker and R. M. Wall married May 21st, 
1876. John W. Burch and Mary Harrell married April 
21st, 1877. Wiley Byrd and Elizabeth Kirkland mar¬ 
ried January 11th, 1878. B. T. Bagley and L. C. Davis 
married April 15th, 1877. John W. Booker and Nancy 
E. Parrish married September 26th, 1878. 

Abner W. Curry and Mattie Wilcox married March 
18th, 1873. James Carver and Rhoda Tucker married 
August 26th, 1873. William Chaney and Mary Moon 
married November 21st, 1873. Silas Carver and Nancy 
Joiner married November 8th, 1873. David Cannon 
and S. Suggs married March 10th, 1874. Joshua Carter 
and Martha Davis married January 9th, 1876. Jabriel 
Carver and Mary Joiner married July 23rd, 1876. B. 
Cothern and Melvinia Vining married March 28th, 
1878. George Chaney and Lucendia Ward married 
May 18th, 1878. Jesse Carver and Hariot Mixon mar¬ 
ried August 23rd, 1878. W. B. Courson and Mattie 
Ward married January 10th, 1880. L. Cowart and 
Nancy Gaskin married November 20th, 1879. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 79 

Q. Douglas and Lucinda Lott married March 17th, 
1873. Mose Davis and Mary J. Meeks married De¬ 
cember 11th, 1871. D. Davis and L. Wooten married 
August 14th, 1875. S. Davis and E. Hursey married 
April 29th, 1875. R. H. Dent and Eliza A. E. J. 
Trowell married January 26th, 1878. J. B. Day and 
Fannie Fussell married January 17th, 1879. Thomas 
Davis and Eliza Tanner married March 17th, 1879. 
Richard Davis and E. Gaskin married July 20th, 
1879. James Day and Mary Lankford married March 
29th, 1879. 

Jesse Edinfield and Rena Spence married December 
1st, 1873. 

William T. Fussell and Elizabeth Roberts married 
November 26th, 1873. John Fussell and Ann J. Kirk¬ 
land married April 25th, 1874. J. W. Flanders and 
Sarah Burch married August 21st, 1874. 

C. 0. Harper and Lucinda Lott married February 
10th, 1871. Henry Harper and Sarah Vickers married 
March 17th, 1873. William S. Hand and Susan Sim¬ 
mons married February 7th, 1874. H. S. Harper and 
Mary Vickers married January 10th, 1874. J. Q. Ham¬ 
mond and A. P. Pickern married December 29th, 1875. 
Dr. M. M. Hall and Rebecca B. Lott married January 
10th, 1875. J. F. Henson and Nancy Lott married May 
29tli, 1876. John Hargraves and Nancy Hulett mar¬ 
ried April 28th, 1877. Lovett Harrell and Mary Murry 
married February 26th, 1878. IL L. Hutson and 
Mollie Merritt married January 20th, 1879. 

William Jowers and Delilah Paulk married Decem¬ 
ber 21st, 1872. Joe Jowers and Thaney Ruis married 
February 26th, 1874. David Jordon and Mary Sears 
married October 13th, 1874. E. Jowers and Dicey M. 


80 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

Kicketson married January 3rd, 187f>. Elijah lowers 
and Sarah Sapp married May 5th, 1877. Allen Joiner 
and Susan Adams married July 31st, 1878. 

Mose J. Kirkland and Marjorie Wilcox married 
April 26th, 1878, Jeff Kirkland and Mamie Greer 
married April 24th, 1879. 

Henry Love and Artie Took married May 8th, 1876. 
Thomas M. Lee and Eliza A. Meeks married January 
7th, 1877. J. S. Lott and Avie Peterson married April 
4th, 1877. John M. Lott and Eliza J. Kirkland married 
December 20th, 1878. Mark Lott and Amanda Ward 
married August 10th, 1877. David Lott and Elizabeth 
Byrd married November 5t,h, 1878. R. E. Lankford 
and Ellen Hutto married October 22nd, 1878. W. H. 
Love and Abbie J. Kirkland married December 2nd, 

1878. Elisha Lott and R. Vickers married January 
10th, 1880. 

Hiram Mancil, Jr., and Mary Arnold married April 
18th, 1874. John Metts and Rhoda Boyd married 
November 28th, 1874. M. Metts and Ellen Bowen 
married January 26th, 1875. Eugene Merier, Sr., 
and S. A. Wilkinson married July 22nd, 1875. A. S. 
Minchew and Mary E. Denton married November 6th, 
1875. Benajah Mills and E. Pearson married October 
4th, 1872. Rev. Malcom Meeks and Elizabeth Tanner 
married April 6th, 1874. John J. Meeks and Rebecca 
Douglas married March 4th, 1877. Elias Metts and 
Nancy Bratcher married January 7th, 1878. John 
Minchew and Rhqda Ricketson married April 27th, 

1879. C. F. Meeks and Dorcas Douglas married April 
20th, 1879. 

E. H. McClelland and E. Anderson married De¬ 
cember 4th, 1874. W. S. McKinnon and Abbiegal Taff 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 81 

married June 24th, 1878. B. E. McLendon and Jose¬ 
phine Sears married November 2nd, 1880. 

George W. Nelms and Nancy Smith married Sep¬ 
tember 10th, 1874. J. Newbern and Mary A. Woods 
married March 9th, 1875. L. Newbern and Elizabeth 
Douglas married September 5th, 1877. A. Nolan and 
Elizabeth Overstreet married July 16th, 1877. 

J. M. Odum and Nancy Hinson married March 23rd, 
1877. James O’Mally and Ida Taylor married April 
8th, 1879. 

S. D. Phillips and Samanthia Wilcox married April 
8th, 1874. C. S. Parker and Elizabeth Summerlin 
married November 18th, 1874. David Peterson and 
E. Byrd married December 18th, 1874. Paul Pallicer 
and R. Youngblood married December 6th, 1875. John 
Pridgen and Elizabeth Wooten married November 
29th, 1875. L. Passmore and Jane Smith married May 
15th, 1875. Elisha Purvis and Sarah Carver married 
July 17th, 1875. Lucius Paulk and Elizabeth Vickers 
married December 31st, 1877. John R. Paulk and 
L. Purvis married March 6th, 1880. 

John Royals and Elizabeth Roberts married January 
17th, 1873. James S. Royals and Levicey Bailey mar¬ 
ried January 23rd, 1874. John W. Robert and Dora 
A. Royals married December 25th, 1873. S. Ricketson 
and Mary Smith married September 21st, 1875. Sam 
Register and Emiline Hutto married October 16th, 
1876. William Roe and Sarah Ann Sears married 
August 24th, 1878. Gray Roberts and Sarah J. Wilcox 
married December 19th, 1879. John Roberts and 
Barbara Denton married December 25th, 1879. 

John Solomons and S. Ann Royals married De¬ 
cember 25th, 1872. Elisha Summerlin and Delilah 


82 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

Solomon married January 1st, 1872. Henry Solomon 
and Sarah A. Hutto married May 30th, 1871. M. Sum¬ 
merlin and Elizabeth Hill married December 9th, 1873. 
R. S. Smith and Symeria Gaskin married December 
27th, 1873. Levy Sapp and Sarah Solomon married 
February 9th, 1874. Mathey Spivey and Adline Ben¬ 
nett married April 25th, 1874. R. R. Stevens and 
H. E. Ricketson married July 22nd, 1875. John Spivey 
and E. McLendon married February 2nd, 1876. Wil¬ 
liam Summerlin and Amanda Sears married November 
17th, 1875. J. T. Spivey and Lydia Remis married 
August 18th, 1874. George Sears and Julia O’Neal 
married May 14th, 1878. George Sears and Elizabeth 
White married March 12th, 1879. 

D. G. Thomas and Mary Taylor married March 1st, 

1873. John L. Tyson and Martha Ricketson married 
July 8th, 1864. John T. Tucker and Nancy Pickern 
married July 9th, 1874. Richard Tucker and Roxie 
Wooten married November 21st, 1874. Jacob Tucker 
and Easter Pickern married July 9th, 1874. B. W. 
Tanner and Mary A. Davis married December 20th, 

1874. J. W. Tanner and Hester Ward married May 
18th, 1878. G. W. Tanner and Eliza A. Taylor married 
April 13th, 1879. John A. Taylor and Martha Thomas 
married July 24tli, 1879. Berry H. Tanner and Pen- 
nolope Davis married December 11th, 1879. 

J. J. Varnedore and Elizabeth Davis married No¬ 
vember 21st, 1873. Banny Vining and Martha Crosby 
married April 16th, 1874. Dennis Vickers and Mary 
Carver married November 6th, 1876. 

W. J. Wright and Missouri Burkett married May 
6th, 1873. D. S. Walls and Rebecca Brooker married 
August 16th, 1873. Bryant Wood and Elizabeth An- 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 


83 


clerson married May 7tli, 1873. J. H. Wall and D. E. 
Brooker married June 18th, 1874. Rowan Wood and 
Mary A. Hutto married December 29th, 1874. G. W. 
Wood and Nellie Anderson married December 16th, 
1874. M. Wood and E. Ricketson married October 
18th, 1875. J. W. Windfield and Mary A. Wright 
married January 30th, 1873. D. S. Wall and Annie 
Brooker married March 6th, 1873. John A. Waters 
and Elizabeth Meeks married February 27th, 1877. 
James L. Walker and Dollie V. Watson married 
December 20th, 1879. 


84 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

Pioneers of Coffee County 

South of the Ocmulgee—Going to Market—Building 
Roads—Names of Streams 

When the pioneers settled in the Wiregrass Country, 
in the year eighteen hundred, there were no counties 
laid out in this part of the state; no lots of lands had 
been surveyed and there were no roads. 

All south of the Ocmulgee River, reaching nearly to 
the coast on the east, to the Florida line on the south, 
and on to the Chattahoochee River on the west, was 
one great stretch of pine woods and wiregrass, with 
here and there a lone pioneer. There were no roads 
through the country and no bridges over the streams. 

When an immigrant, coming south, crossed the 
Ocmulgee River, he investigated the country until he 
found a place that suited him and built his little 
home, without reference as to who owned the land. 
In the course of time, trails and settlement roads 
were made from one place to another; there was a 
road out from Burkett’s Ferry, on the Ocmulgee 
River, leading south. 

Settlements were far apart at this early time in the 
history of Wiregrass Georgia; there were no towns 
and no places to trade, except Savannah, St. Marys, 
Centerville, and perhaps a few little stores situated 
up and down the Ocmulgee River. 

Captain Thomas Wilcox, and Captain Aaron Brant¬ 
ley ran as the captains on the river boats and supplied 
some of the people in this section of Georgia with 
their merchandise and trade supplies. 

When it became necessary to go to market, a group 
would get together, with perhaps a half dozen horse 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 


85 


carts, and make the trip. It required a week or more 
to go to Savannah and return. It was also necessary 
to make this trip when the weather was dry, in order 
that the streams of water would be low and passable. 
A little later on in the history of this county, they had 
what was called flats, and on them they loaded their 
horses and carts, and with a long pole pushed them 
across the streams. The pioneers often blazed the 
trees, selecting the best routes from one place to 
another, and always selecting shallow places in the 
creeks as fords where they might cross Avhen the 
water was not too high. There were so few people in 
this part of Georgia, and so little travel, that very little 
attention was paid to roads. 

About 1812 to 1815, the Blackshear Road was built, 
extending from Jacksonville, in Telfair County, to 
Camp Pinkney, on the St. Mary’s River, where old 
Centerville was afterwards located. The road was 
opened by the State troops, commanded by General 
David Blackshear. The road passed over the grounds 
where Douglas and Broxton now stand. Thomas Wil¬ 
cox, grandfather of Dr. Jeff Wilcox, of Willacoochee, 
Georgia, was a soldier and helped to build this road. 
The road was built during our second war with Eng¬ 
land, for military purposes. 

General Blackshear named many of the streams of 
Coffee County. The county had not been surveyed 
or named. Only the wild woods and the Creek In¬ 
dians, with ever now and then a lone settler, were here. 
Some of the creeks named by him are the Five-Mile 
Creek, the Nine-Mile Creek, the Seventeen-Mile Creek, 
and the Twenty-Mile Creek. The Creek Indians named 


86 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 


most of the large streams and their names remain with 
ns to this day. 

Indian Names 



Ye say that they have passed away, 
That noble race and brave; 

That their light canoes have vanished 
From off the crested wave; 

That, ’mid the forests where they roamed, 
There rings no hunter’s shout; 

But their name is on your waters, 

Ye may not wash it out. 


Hon. W. G. Brantley Allen M. Spence 

SOLICITORS SUPERIOR COURT 
Honorable W. G. Brantley, Solicitor-General of the Brunswick 
Circuit for many years, and afterwards went to Congress. 
Allen M. Spence, now serving as Solicitor-General of the Superior 
Courts of Waycross Circuit. 






87 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 

Erwin Spivey 

Erwin Spivey, 
known by the Armies 
North and South as 
“Gordon’s Bull,” 
was in Company E. 

26th, Georgia. Mr. 

Spivey had a tre¬ 
mendous voice, loud, 
wild and weird. He 
could squeal and yell 
and bellow like a 
bull and be heard for 
miles around. He 
trained his voice in 
such a way as to 
give it “Carrying Power.” He was the talk of both 
Armies. He belonged to Gordon’s Brigade, which was a 
terror to the Northern Army. The Yankee Army could 
recognize the strange voice of Erwin Spivey and they 
knew that Gordon was after them. When the Yankees 
would hear him it is said that the soldiers would look 
at each other and say, “Boys, there is trouble ahead. 
Gordon’s Brigade is on the move and Gordon’s Bull 
is giving the alarm.” It is said that many of the 
weak-kneed Yankees would break ranks and run for 
their lives when they heard the yell of “Gordon’s 
Bull.” 



Erwin Spivey 
“Gordon's Bull ” 


88 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

Captain Jefferson Wilcox 



He was born 
March 20th, 1860. 

His father was Mark 
Wilcox and his moth¬ 
er was a Lott. 


He attended the 
Southern Medical 
College in Atlanta, 
Georgia, and grad¬ 
uated with second 
honor in a class of 
37 young men in the 
class of 1883. He was 
the first native of 


Captain Jeff Wilcox 


Coffee County to receive a degree of Doctor of 
Medicine. August 16, 1883, he married Miss Marian 
Hinson, daughter of James Hinson of Coffee County, 
Georgia. There were three children born to that mar¬ 
riage, Ira E. Wilcox, who is a prominent business 
man of Birmingham, Alabama, and J. Mark Wilcox, 
who is a prominent attorney of West Palm Beach, 
Florida. 

On December 1st, 1888, he located in Willacoochee, 
Georgia, his present location and where he has re¬ 
mained ever since. He was elected Mayor of Willa¬ 
coochee in 1891. He was elected Representative of 
Coffee County to the Legislature in 1892. In 1896 he 
was elected to represent the 5th Senatorial District 
in the State Senate. 

At the outbreak of the war with Spain he recruited 
a company of volunteers at his own personal expense. 



Ward’s History of Coffee County 


80 


He tendered their service to the Government and 
President McKinley commissioned him Captain and 
placed him in the 3rd regiment U. S. Vol. Infantry, 
where he served through the Santiago Campaign and 
was honorably discharged from service January 10th, 
1899. 

October 22nd, 1923, his companion who had stood 
by him all of these years was taken to her eternal 
home. He married Mrs. Annie Belle Parker Adams of 
Orlando, Fla., eldest daughter of the sainted William 
Parker. 

The great American Republic and the Cuban Re¬ 
public decorated him last year for services rendered 
in the Spanish-American War. 


90 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 


Dunk Douglas 

(Communicated) 



Editor Breeze—I 
have just learned of 
the death of my 
fatherly old friend, 
Dunk Douglas. 
When mother was 
left a widow and her 
three little boys 
needed a father’s 
help, we found a 
never failing friend 
in Mr. Douglas. He 

Dunk Douglas made the first P air 

of shoes I ever wore. 

He helped in a large measure to build the school and 
church where I first attended school and church. He 
built the church house at Lone Hill where I joined 
the church. The first public confession I made of 
Christ, he was the first to bid me God-speed. He 
taught me how to work. Impressed my young mind 
with the dignity of labor. He idolized the honest 
man, and laziness with him was a crime. 

Dunk Douglas was no ordinary man. He had a 
good strong logical mind and a good memory. He 
was a good story teller and a good conversationalist, 
lie never lost the thread of his story and knew just when 
to laugh. He could tell stories all day and then tell 
a good one after he lay down at night. 



Ward’s History of Coffee County 


91 


Dunk Douglas was a good fanner and a fair me¬ 
chanic. He made what he needed for his own farm 
and made plows and plow stocks for the neighbors. In 
a word, he was “The professor of odd jobs,” for the 
whole country, and for many years after the war our 
neighbors would have missed his services very much. 

Dunk Douglas was one of the most hospitable men 
I ever knew. I think there was a time when he fed 
more men and horses free than the ordinary hotels 
of the country fed for pay. In any matter of business 
he was close and exacting. He paid his debts and 
expected the other people to do the same; but he tried 
to help every one in need of help. All the public 
workings, such as fodder pullings, log rollings, etc., 
he always got there soon and put in a good day’s work, 
and was especially helpful in seeing that others did 
a good day’s work, too. 

Dunk Douglas was a good man with a strong per¬ 
sonality. He was a good husband and a good father 
and a good neighbor indeed. I have known him, on 
many occasions, to stop his own work and help a 
neighbor. He was kind and forbearing and slow to 
resist an insult or an injury. He had unbounded faith 
in God, but he lacked confidence in men. He did not 
believe in any secret societies and often denounced 
clans, and combines of every kind. 

In religion Dunk Douglas was an enigma. No one 
could fully understand him at this point. On three 
different occasions I was very much concerned about 
his religious life, and at each time I tried to help him 
all I could. He joined the church late in life but 
that does not show that he was not a child of God. 
He had a spiritual mind and loved the word of God. 


92 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

I Lis life was an exponent of tlie “pure and undefiled 
religion/’ and when Dunk Douglas stands before the 
judgment seat of Christ I am strongly of the opinion 
that he will hear the welcome plaudit, “Come ye 
blessed of my father and inherit the kingdom pre¬ 
pared for you, from the foundation of the world, 
for I was hungry and ye gave me meat, I was thirsty 
and ye gave me drink, I was a stranger and ye took me 
in, naked and ye clothed me, I was sick and ye visited 
me.” 

I do not write this as an obituary, but I have only 
given expression to a few thoughts of the man as I 
have seen him all my life. And now that he is gone, 
I desire with his family and friends to drop a tear 
and a flower upon his grave, trusting that our faith 
in Him who is the resurrection and the life will some 
sweet day bring us all together again. 

Ward’s Scrapbook, 1896. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 


93 


Doctors and Medicine 

In the early days 
we had a few doc¬ 
tors. People would 
wait till the sick 
were half dead be¬ 
fore they sent for a 
doctor, perhaps 
thirty miles away. 

The sick used all 
sorts of remedies. 

Oil and turpentine 
were the favorites. 

Red oak bark was 
used as an astrin¬ 
gent. Elderberry used 
both as an astringent and a purgative. When you 
wanted an astringent, scrape the bark up, and for a 
purgative scrape it down. “For cuts and to stop bleed¬ 
ing use cobweb. ” That is the spider webs hanging 
about the walls covered with smut. Sweet gum and 
mullein were used for fevers. Pepper tea for colds. 
For sprains and bruises use clay and vinegar. For bee 
stings use tobacco. For snake bites use whiskey and 
a poultice made of salt, tobacco and onions. 

Parched corn will make coffee and so will parched 
sweet potatoes. Collard leaves were used for head¬ 
aches—warm and bind to the head. Bleeding for 
pneumonia was used in first stages. For burns use 
eggs and flour mixed. Many people thought fire 
could be talked out. Warts, cancers, moles, etc., were 



Dr. Stafford Davis 
a celebrated cancer doctor who lived 
to be 106 years old 


94 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

conjured away, so they said. When choked, beat the 
patient in the back hard. Ginger tea was used as an 
astringent in case of stomach trouble. Tina, Sage and 
Rosemary teas was a remedy that never fails for colic, 
caused by eating too much. For bilious colic take a 
tablespoon full of salts, in five minutes take same dose 
and wait five minutes and if no relief then take an¬ 
other dose and in five minutes you will be relieved. It 
never fails. To use hot water will give more imme¬ 
diate results. 

Stafford Davis was a celebrated old cancer doctor. 
People came to see him from all parts of the country. 
They thought he did them good. They also wrote him 
and he gave them a sort of “absent treatment.’’ He 
was known far and near. He lived to be 106 years of 
age. Before he died it was said that he had trans¬ 
ferred his “Gift” to Joe Ward, his grandson. 

Old Billy Ward was a Homespun doctor and made 
his medicine from the woods. He knew enough about 
the vegetables to get results as astringent, purgatives, 
etc. 

Every locality had its good man or its good woman, 
who could be sent for in time of sickness, and could 
be relied upon to go. Also every community had its 
coffin maker who worked free. Call in neighbors 
to help him. Many old men selected their coffin planks 
and laid them in the lofts to dry. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 


95 


Old Man Billy Ward 

In going from 
Baxley to Douglas 
you cross the Seven¬ 
teen-Mile Creek at 
the bridge at Reed 
Lake. Just on the 
other side to the left, 
is a little log house. 

There is where Uncle 
Billy lives. He is 
now nearly seventy 
years old and lives 
all alone by the side 
of this big old creek 
where the “Hoot” of 
the owl and the “Chip Willow” of the whippoor-will 
greets his ear, but these wild, weird surroundings, no 
doubt, are congenial to his strange nature. He has 
raised a large family of children, but none are now with 
him. He will not live with them but prefers his little 
hut alone where he can brood over his past life and 
have all the world to himself. 

In his better days he was doing well, had plenty and 
was a kind neighbor. He was a blacksmith, preacher, 
and a doctor, and a useful man in our beat. By some 
means or other lie did not go to war and was one of 
the few men left in our community during that dread¬ 
ful period. He used to come to our house to kill beef. 
Our cows were not used to seeing men folks in those 
days and they hated them more than dogs. But Uncle 



Billy Ward 

Pioneer Doctor and Baptist Minister 
Before the War. 


96 Wakd’s Histoey of Coffee County 

Billy knew how to fool them. He put on a sun bonnet 
and an apron, and then he could keep them still long 
enough to shoot one. 

He had plenty of cows himself but seldom had beef. 
He said if he knew which cow he would lose in the 
winter he would kill her in the summer and thus 
economize. He was not a stingy man, but seemingly 
curious, and so he is yet. He hardly ever sent corn to 
mill like other folks, but did his own grinding on a 
steel mill. I have often seen them gather corn from 
the field and grind it for dinner. 

I never saw a table cloth on the table but once, and 
then Monroe Wilcox was there. They had a big turtle 
for dinner. I was a small boy but they let me eat at 
the first table and I enjoyed the cooter hugely. 

Uncle Billy was a kind old man to the sick and was 
often called to the bedside of the suffering. He be¬ 
lieved in moving pains by hard rubbing. By some 
accident or other one of his hands had been burned, 
his little finger was stiff, just half closed. It was 
badly in the way about rubbing, because it scratched 
more than it rubbed. 

Uncle Billy had no use for shirt buttons on his 
shirt for he never buttoned one; still he had a fancy 
for ladies, and would do and say many funny things 
while in their presence. His wife, he called “Old 
Doman,” poor old thing! I never saw her laugh, but 
she always wore a broad smile when Uncle Billy was 
about. She always looked like she was ashamed in 
his presence. 

I have never heard him preach, but those who have 
heard him say there was a lot of fun in it. He could 
draw some amusing pictures and make very striking 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 97 

illustrations. Here is a sample: “If all the water was 
in one place and all the trees in one tree, all the men 
in one man and all the axes in one axe—Then if the 
big tree stood by that big water and if that big man 
should take that big axe and cut down that big tree 
in that big lake of water, whoopee! wouldn’t it make 
a splash.” 

He never had family prayer, and never asked a 
blessing at his table, and has now given up preaching 
altogether. He never doctors anything now unless 
it is his cat or his pig. All of his property is gone, 
his wife is dead and his children all grown. Poor old 
man. I am sorry for him, but he doesn’t want any 
sympathy, mine nor yours, and he doesn’t think any 
more of me for writing this article either. But his 
life is a curious one and provides much food for 
thought. When you pass his home you will more fully 
realize what I have told you. 


Ward’s Scrapbook, 1885. 


98 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

Tribute to Monroe Wilcox 

I see by the last issue of your paper that another 
good man is gone. Monroe Wilcox is dead. 

“Friend after friend departs— 

Who has not lost a friend? 

There is no union here of hearts 
But that we find an end.” 

He was my friend and your friend and everybody’s 
friend. Coffee County never had a more useful citizen 
than he, as doctor and preacher, singing master and 
school teacher and Christian neighbor. His field for 
usefulness was wide. 

He was a self-made man in the true sense of the 
word. He educated himself. He read many good 
books and had a practical knowledge of the sciences, 
history, theology and medicine. 

His influence for the good was widespread and 
lasting. At one time every office in Coffee County 
was filled by men who had been to school to him. As 
a local Methodist preacher he was indeed a model. 
Like a weeping prophet, he went from place to place, 
preaching, praying and singing. He seldom led a 
prayer meeting or addressed a class of Sunday school 
children that he did not weep over them as he warned 
them of the awful consequences of a sinful life. The 
next moment, with happy face and streaming eye, he 
would sing some glad, sweet song. X can see him now 
as he appeared to me in 1875, hymn book in hand, 
and hear his sad sweet voice as he tenderly reads, 
“How sweet the name of Jesus sounds in a believer’s 
ear.” 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 99 

His first sermon was preached at old Lone Hill 
Church, in 1872, from the text, “Remember thy 
Creator in the days of thy youth.” Under that sermon 
and on that day this writer joined the church. His 
song and his sermon and his very presence was always 
a help to me in my Christian life. I think I knew him 
as well as any one, for it was my privilege to live in 
his home and attend school. Twice a day he read the 
Bible and had prayer with his family. Often he was 
called to see the sick and visit the dying. His 
presence brought hope and comfort. 

But he is gone. How much we shall all miss him! 
There was but one Monroe Wilcox. Is there any one 
anywhere who can take his place? Let us who knew 
the man profit by his life. . May the memory of his 
words, his sweet songs and his weeping face inspire 
us all to be faithful until one by one we cross over the 
river to be forever for the Lord. 

W. P. WARD. 


From Ward’s Scrapbook, 1897. 


100 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


Indians Rob Dr. Parker’s Home 

About the year 
1836 William Parker, 
(Short-Arm Bill) as 
he was called, and 
the father of C. G. 
W. Parker, and later 
a well-known doctor, 
was living in Berrien 
County on the old 
Patterson place. One 
winter day when Mr. 
Parker was away 
from home, several 
Indians appeared at 
the foot of the hill, 
at a spring, where 
the family got water. 
It is said that the 
Indians began to beat on logs, thereby attracting 
the attention of the people. It appears the Indians 
meant to rob and not to murder, but as there 
were no men at home the women ran through the 
field, a back way, a distance of five miles to the 
home of Dread Newborn. The Indians robbed the 
house, broke open a trunk and got $300 in cash, 
cut the feather beds open, emptied the feathers out 
and took the ticks with them. A company of men 
soon collected together, under the command of George 
Peterson, Dread Newborn, William Parker, and others. 
The Indians were overtaken at the Allapaha River 
and three were killed, others made their escape 



Dr. Calvin Gordon Berry Washing¬ 
ton Parker 

Pioneer Doctor, Indian Fighter and 
Leading Citizen. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 101 

but were followed and overtaken at the St. 111a lliver, 
at what is now known as Indian Lake, about two miles 
northeast of the town of Axson, Ga. They were all 
shot and killed, except one squaw; it was reported that 
she was captured and shot. Dread Newborn, the son 
of Dread Newborn, who followed the Indians, informs 
me that the Indian woman was kept in prison for a 
while and then by direction of the government was 
returned to her own people. About this time a whole 
family by the name of Wilds was killed by the Indians, 
near Waresboro, Ga. One little boy, Reuben Wilds, 
made his escape. Of course there are a great many 
Indian stories, but the narratives I have given you are 
facts testified to by living witnesses and most worthy 
tradition, for the first time they are put into history. 


102 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


Old Churches in Coffee County 

Old Hebron Church 

Founded By That Great and Good Man, Elder John 
Vickers—Mother Vickers’ Chair—The Present 
Ministers of the Church—Other Matters 
of History 

High up on the hill, near the Satilla River, on the 
public road, midway between Douglas and Willa- 
coochee, stands old Hebron Church, one of the old 
landmarks of Coffee County. Like Jerusalem of old, 
she is beautiful for situation. This church was built 
about 1870 by the friends and followers of Rev. John 
Vickers, a great and good man now gone to his reward. 

The church building is one of the largest and neatest 
in the county and reflects great credit upon the 
membership of the church and others who aided in 
the construction. The building is nicely painted on 
the outside and has good, comfortable seats. 

One of the first things that attracts the attention of 
a stranger on entering the church is an old-fashioned 
leather-bottomed chair hanging upon the wall of the 
building. This chair has a history. It is the chair of 
old “Mother Vickers” of sainted memory, mother of 
Rev. John Vickers, the founder of that church. This 
is the same chair that she occupied in church for 
several years. When Mother Vickers left this land of 
troubles and heartaches and went to be with her Lord 
whom she loved and served so long, she exchanged this 
old country chair for a seat in glory among the angels, 
and this old chair was left vacant, and now hangs upon 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 103 


the wall, a constant reminder to children and friends 
that she has gone np higher. As this editor sat and 
looked at the old chair, he thought what a sermon it 
preaches to all who enter there. The mother fought 
a good fight, kept the faith and is now gone to her 
reward; but this empty chair is calling, calling, call¬ 
ing children and friends, sinners and all. If it were 
my mother’s chair, I would long to live the life she 
lived, and walk in the way she walked and would 
inever cease to pray till her God was my God and I 
had the witness in my heart that we would all meet 
again. 

Oh, that chair, our mother’s chair 
Preaching sermons on the wall; 

Listen to mother, who left it there, 

Oh, heed her call, heed her call. 

The graveyard at Hebron is one of the best kept in 
Coffee County. Many good fathers and mothers of 
Israel are buried there. Among them we noticed the 
names of Lott, Vickers, Purvis, Paulk, Lindsey and 
others. Many nice and costly tombstones mark the 
last resting place of these beloved dead. The one at 
the grave of Rev. John Vickers, who died in June, 
1900, is especially beautiful. 

The history of Hebron Church is a most interesting 
one. Rev. John Vickers, during his lifetime, was the 
central figure of that branch of the Primitive Baptist 
Church. When he first grew to manhood, he joined 
the Primitive Church and was, by them, licensed to 
preach; but a division among the members, on points 
of doctrine, very soon culminated in a split in the 
church. Rev. Vickers contended that salvation was 
conditional, while the old line hardshells claimed that 


104 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


salvation was by election and unconditional. Rev. 
Vickers wrote a tract giving his views of the plan of 
salvation in which he called the old line Baptists 
“fatalists” and contended that he and his followers 
held the true Primitive Baptist doctrines. In his faith 
he lived and died. The church, as a denomination, has 
not grown very fast, but has been blessed of God in 
doing great good. They have had much to contend 
with to maintain their doctrine and practice, and 
deserve great credit for what they have done and are 
doing. They should be encouraged to press on in their 
good work. There are many good men and women 
in that neighborhood of Hebron who are not members 
of any church, but who ought to be, and they will 
never be satisfied in any other church and therefore, 
ought to joint that church and help push the work of 
the Lord in that locality. Yes, mother has left a 
vacant seat. Who will be the first one to go in and 
sit down? 

Ward’s Scrapbook, 1905. 

Arnie Church 

Many of the pioneer citizens of Coffee County were 
believers in Primitive Baptist doctrine. They had 
churches in many places in South Georgia and some 
in Coffee County. One of the oldest churches in Coffee 
County is Arnie Church. It is situated about ten miles 
southwest of Douglas. This church was organized 
about 1886 by Elder Mobley and others. Elder King 
was one of the first pastors of that church. Among 
isome of the members of that old church were the 
Morris’, 0’Steens’, Douglas’, McKinnons’, Vickers’ and 
others. This church has been a landmark among the 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 105 

Primitive Baptists of Coffee County. It is situated 
among a class of good farmers. They also have a good 
school near the church and are a progressive people. 
The Primitive Baptist, as a people, are conservative 
in all matters. They are not quick ‘‘To go after 
strange fire to burn on their Altars.” They have 
always stood like a stone’wall between the church and 
all worldly institutions. They believe in a strict 
''separation of church and state, or we might say the 
church and the world. There are no better citizens 
in Coffee County than the Primitive Baptists and their 
sons and daughters. They are strict to meet all their 
obligations, financial and otherwise, and are truly 
loyal to the Primitive Baptist Church. 

Some of the pastors were Elders Parrish, Tomberlin, 
Stallings, O’Steen, Elder Weatherington and others. 

Mormon Church 

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or 
the Mormon Church, sent missionaries from the West 
to Coffee County in 1898. 

Among the first Elders to appear were Nephi Hen¬ 
son and Elder Brewer. Many citizens of the county 
were excited over the appearance of the Elders. Some 
regarded them as messengers from Heaven, gave them 
shelter and lodging, remembering that Scripture says, 
“Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby 
some have entertained angels unawares.” Others re¬ 
garded them as emissaries of the devil, wrecking homes 
and carrying away women. 

The first converts to the Mormon religion were 
Calvin W. Williams, Dan P. Lott, Joseph J. Adams 
and families. Elder Ben E. Rich was one of the first 


106 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


presidents of the Southern States Mission. He helped 
to establish the church in Coffee County. He was suc¬ 
ceeded as president of the Mission by Elder Charles 
A. Callis. 

Coffee County has been a fruitful field for the 
Mormon Church, it having grown to a membership of 
more than seven hundred. There are two churches in 
the territory—Cumorrah Church in Coffee County, and 
the Utah Church in Atkinson County, formerly Coffee. 
Traveling Elders have been preaching regularly in 
both of these churches since they were built. 

The church and elders have grown more in favor 
with the people as the years have gone by. The ma¬ 
jority of the Mormon people engage in agriculture. 
They are encouraged by the leaders to make the fields 
green with good crops. They stress as an essential 
part of their religion, “good health and clean bodies.” 

They believe in temperance and education. 

Sand Hill Baptist Church 

Sand Hill Church is situated about seven miles east 
of Douglas and was organized by Thomas P. O’Neal. 
Some of the ministers were: G. W. Newbern, Henry 
Dent, Gilford Lastinger, Rev. P. W. Powell and others. 
Some of the members of this church fifty years or 
more were: Henry Dent and his family, Thomas Dent 
and his family, Daniel Gaskins and his family, Frank¬ 
lin Ward and others. 

A large association was held on the grounds where 
the church now stands in 1875. Preachers and people 
gathered from all over the country. Services were 
held under a brush arbor. Some of the ministers who 
attended that meeting were: G. W. Newbern, Johnie 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 107 


Taylor, Gilford Lastinger, Thomas P. O’Neal, Elder 
Barber and W. R. Frier, Sr., father of the Editor Frier 
of the Douglas Enterprise, was clerk of the associa¬ 
tion. James Vining, S. P. Gaskins and others 
preached. 

Lott Memorial Church 
(Communicated 1924) 

I attended the old Lone Hill Church last Sunday, 
the first Sunday in the New Year. I joined that church 
fifty years ago; I love to go there. It has been “Lone 
Hill” since 1854. The name of the place ought to be 
changed to meet the present day conditions. The 
sweet memories that cling about the old name may 
be embalmed and perpetuated in the new name. 

I submit the “Lone Hill” Church name be changed 
to the “Lott Memorial Church.” Some of the reasons 
are as follows: 

When the Lott family moved to this country about 
the year 1810 they settled right on the spot where the 
church now stands. They were the pioneers of our 
present civilization. They cleared the land, built the 
houses, made a good and lasting impression on this 
part of Georgia. When they died they were buried 
at the Lone Hill Grave Yard and they continue to 
bury the Lotts and their generation there. Many of 
the best citizens in that locality are related to the 
Lotts. The old “Lone Hill” means nothing and stands 
for nothing. If the name is changed, as I suggest, 
it will be building a monument to the Lotts and will 
point the young generation to that heroic band who 
first settled there and whose children and grand¬ 
children largely built Lone Hill and made it what it 


108 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

is, what it has meant to me and to hundreds of others 
who joined that old church and attended their first 
Sunday schools there. It will be placing a premium 
upon the lives of those saintly ones who wrought so 
well in the long ago. It will be like a clarion call to 
all the Lotts and their generations to again join their 
scattered forces and to make the “Lott Memorial 
Church” the best country church in this part of 
Georgia. The church could not fail with the two Dan 
Lotts—Elias’ Dan and Arthur’s Dan, John Peterson, 
Sampie and Monroe Smith, E. R. Cross, Willis New- 
bern and their families and many others. They have 
the talent to do anything necessary to be done to make 
a big, successful church. The woods out there are full 
of fine people who, no doubt, would be glad to fall in 
line with the proper leadership and build up a great 
church choir and a great church. My heart thrills at 
the possibility of such a movement. I submit the ques¬ 
tion—shall it be the Lott Memorial Church? 

Ward’s Scrapbook, 1910. 

Lone Hill Methodist Church 

Lone Hill Methodist Church is situated twelve miles 
northeast of Douglas, Ga. This church was organized 
at the close of the Civil War. It was the plan of the 
pastor of the church to have preaching once a month, 
Saturday and Sunday. It is said that the preacher 
came to church on Saturday, once upon a time, and 
that not a soul came to meeting. He came at 11 o’clock 
and waited until twelve or one and still no one came. 
He left the church and went to Aunt Fannie Gaskins 
for dinner. He told Mrs. Gaskins his experience and 
said it was the most lonesome place he ever saw. He 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 109 


repeated that it was a Lonesome Hill and so the church 
had a name from that time on—“Lone Hill.’’ 

The old members of this church were the Lotts, 
Newberns, Douglases, Wards, Smiths, and many others. 
One of the first Sunday schools in Coffee County was 
organized in that old church, and the superintendent 
of the Sunday school was a woman—Mrs. Clem 
Brooker. She was a good superintendent; she had 
tact, and sense. The Sunday school was very prosper¬ 
ous under her management. After her death, R. S. 
Smith was elected superintendent and acted for many, 
many years. 

Some of the old preachers who served that church 
were: David Crenshaw, John E. Sentell, John L. Wil¬ 
liams, J. D. Maulden, J. D. Anthony, W. J. Flanders, 
William F. Roberts, A. M. Williams, W. F. Hixon, 
H. C. Fentrass, A. H. Bazmore, Ben L. Sentell, R. M. 
Booth, J. M. Wilcox and David Blalock. 

The Old Carver Church 

The Carver Baptist Church is situated about six 
miles south of Douglas, Ga. This old church was built 
about the close of the Confederate War. Old Billy 
Ward, Gilford Lastinger, Elias Walden, L. D. Geiger, 
George W. Newbern, et. al., were the preachers. 

Among the old members were: John Carver and 
family, Aaron Anderson and family, Ashford Yeomans 
and family and many others. This old church has had 
a hard struggle to live all through the years. When 
the old log house gave way, Mr. Willie Vickers very 
kindly built a frame house and gave it to the com¬ 
munity with the understanding that all denominations 
might preach there. This writer remembers having 


110 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


attended this old church soon after the war. He does 
not remember the preacher nor a single person who 
attended the church that day, but remembers one 
thing, and that was a dog fight right in front of the 
pulpit. 


The Old Elizabeth Church 

Elizabeth Church is located about two miles west 
of Hazlehurst, Ga. This church was named for Eliza¬ 
beth Wilcox, the mother of Rev. J. M. Wilcox, of 
precious memory. The church was established long 
before the Confederate War. Some of the first min¬ 
isters who preached there were: Revs. Dupree, Gra¬ 
ham, Thorpe, and others. Some of the early members 
of this church were: the Hinsons, Friers, Dents, Dyals, 
and others. 


Midway Methodist Church 

Midway Methodist Church was situated about five 
miles south of Hazlehurst, Ga., and was built several 
years before the Confederate War. Some of the 
ministers were: Daniel Morrison, Wilson, Lowe, and 
others. Some of the members of the old church were: 
Jim Hinson and his family, Joshua Smith, the father 
of old George and old Tom Smith, Wiley Hargroves 
and family, and others. 

Gravel Hill Methodist Church 

This church was organized long before the Civil 
War. Some of the members were: Mrs. Caroline 
Ashley, Matt Ashley, Nathaniel Ashley, with their 
families, and others. This was a Methodist Church 


Ward’s Htstory of Coffee County 111 


and had the same preachers that preached at Midway 
Church. 


Pleasant Grove Baptist Church 

This church was located two miles northwest of 
Ilazlehurst. Some of the old preachers were: Rev. 
Thorpe, Josh Frier, and others. Some of the members 
of that old church were: the Birds, the Pridgens, the 
Paces, and others. 

Mount Zion Methodist Church 

This church was located about ten miles south of 
Hazlehurst, and was built before the Civil War. This 
being a Methodist church, the ministers who served 
old Midway Church also preached at this church. 
Some of the members of that old church were: the 
Wilcoxes, the Taylors, Josh Smith and his family, Peter 
White, and others. 

Rehoboth Primitive Baptist Church 

Rehoboth Primitive Baptist Church was organized 
in the home of William Bagley about the close of the 
Confederate War, by Elder Cornelius Buie. Some of 
the first members were: William Bagley, Ben Bagley, 
the Moore family, and others. The church remained 
in the home of William Bagley for a year or two, and 
then a church house was built about two miles north 
of Bickley. It is of special interest to know how the 
church was located. Elder Cornelius Buie was a blind 
man and was a great preacher. He asked the Lord 
to make known to him where the new church was to 
be located. He was led, as he thought, to blow a 


112 Ward’s Htstory of Coffee County 

trumpet and listen to what direction the sound went 
and where it seemed to locate, and after trying this 
plan for many times and blowing in many directions 
the sound of the trumpet seemed to locate at the 
same place every time, and so he decided that he was 
led by the Lord to locate the new church house at 
that place, and so a few names of them got together 
and built a log house and called the church “Reho- 
both.” The workers and builders on the church were 
so few until the logs were put in place by ropes. The 
old church house had a floor of hewed logs called 
puncheons. 

After many years the old log house became dilapi¬ 
dated and the church members and their friends built 
a new meeting house out of sawed lumber. A few years 
ago, about 1915, a new church house was built about 
two miles southeast of this old church, where regular 
services are now held. 

Elam Primitive Baptist Church 

Elam Primitive Church is located about two miles 
northeast of Nicholls, Ga. This old church was con¬ 
stituted about the year 1865, soon after the Civil War. 
Some of the old members of that church were: Charles 
Meeks and wife, Redding Meeks and wife, Squire 
Dedge, Seab Holton and wife, William Cole and wife. 
Elder Richard Bennett was one of the first pastors of 
the church. This old church has been a landmark in 
Coffee County for many years. A fine class of citizens 
live in that neighborhood now and many of them have 
lived there for many years. It is now one of the lead¬ 
ing churches in the Alapaha River Association. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 113 

Roberts’ Methodist Church, South 

The old Roberts’ Methodist Church is located about 
two or three miles northeast of Kirkland. This church 
was organized about the year 1866. The first friends 
of the church were: old man Jack Roberts and his 
family, old man Rob Roberts and his family, old man 
Elias Moore and his family, old man John Moore and 
his family, Hiriam Mancil and his family, Timothy 
Kirkland and his family, Mac Kirkland and his family, 
Benajah Pearson and his family, Jim McKinnon and 
his family, Seth Durham and his family, Hiriam Sears 
and his family. Dennis Paulk and his family some¬ 
times attended this church. Among the children of 
old Rob Roberts are the following: J. Wesley Roberts, 
Jimmie Roberts, Elder Dan Roberts, Jesse Roberts, 
and Mary Ann, who married Col. Corbitt. One among 
the first preachers of this church was Elder Harvey. 

Royals’ Methodist Church 

The old Royals’ Church is situated about half way 
between Douglas and Pearson and was organized soon 
after the Confederate War. Many of the families and 
friends who attended the old Roberts’ Church also 
attended the Royals’ Church. 

There is also an old cemetery there where many of 
these old citizens are buried. The old Royals’ Church 
is still in operation. Elder Ben Finley was one of the 
first preachers. Daniel Morrison, II. C. Etheridge, 
J. D. Anthony, W. H. Thomas, M. C. Austin, William 
F. Roberts and other ministers preached there. 


114 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


Mount Pleasant Church 

One of the oldest Baptist Churches in Coffee County 
is Mount Pleasant Church, located about six or eight 
miles east of Broxton. About seventy-five years ago 
the church was organized by C. W. Thorpe. (Wash.) 
Some of the pastors of that church more than fifty 
years ago were: George Newbern, W. M. Carver, and 
W. E. Morris. Old man Joshua Frier was one of the 
deacons in that old-time church, and when no preacher 
was there he would hold the services. Another deacon 
in that old-time church was William Creech. Wiley 
Byrd, Sr., Ben Minchew and family, Joe Garrett, 
Archie Miller were members of that church. 

New Hope Church 

Another old-time church is New Hope Church near 
Ambrose, Ga., which was constituted about 65 years 
ago. Johnie G. Taylor, George W. Newbern were 
pastors. Some of the old members were: J. R. Smith, 
S. D. Phillips, Squire Jowers, Eli Jowers, and others. 

Mount Zion Baptist Church 

Another old-time church was Mount Zion Baptist 
Church, situated ten or fifteen miles south of Douglas. 
Some of the earlier preachers were: George Newbern, 
Johnie G. Taylor, W. E. Morris, Gilford Lastinger, 
William Carver. Some of the old members were: 
Douglas Gillis, J. P. Wall, Brooker, Cicero Gillis, 
Arthur Gillis, and others. One of the special features 
of Mount Zion Church was the old-fashion singing. 


AVard’s History of Coffee County 115 

Oak Grove Church 

One of the old-time churches in Coffee County was 
the Oak Grove Church. Oak Grove Church was 
located about a mile northwest of the town of Pridgen. 
AVilliam Roberts, Dan Morrison, Rev. Blalock were the 
Old preachers. Some of the members were: Capt. 
J. W. Boyd and family, Murdock McRae and family, 
some of the Fussells, and others. 

Midway Methodist Church 

Midway Methodist Church was organized by Greene 
Taylor in 1864. He was a great camp meeting 
preacher. Midway Church is situated about four miles 
east of where West Green is now located. The mem¬ 
bers there were: W. P. Taylor, John Burkett, Aunt 
Vina Burkett, and others. 

Bethel Church 

Another old church in Coffee County is Bethel 
Church. It was situated near the home of old man 
John Lott about fifteen miles northeast of Douglas. 
Its members were: John Lott and his family, Dan 
Lott and his family; and the preachers were: J. D. 
Anthony, Rev. Maulden, and others. 

The Catholic Church 

The only Catholic Church in Coffee County was 
built at Willacoochee, Georgia, about the year 1870. 
The group of Catholic Irish who came from New York 
to construct the Brisbane Railroad built this church. 
Among the names of the old members are McGoverns, 


116 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


Nolans, McDaniels, Spiveys, Neugents, and perhaps 
some others. As Coffee County people have married 
into these Catholic families, some of them have joined 
the Catholic Church. 

The church was located first at Willacoochee, 
Georgia. It was later on moved near Mr. John Mc¬ 
Governs. 

These Irish Catholic people are among the best 
citizens of Coffee County, and we are glad that “The 
Brisbane Railroad” left us this group of good citizens. 

Old School Houses 

About 1865 a school was organized in the neighbor¬ 
hood of the Meeks settlement. The building was a 
plain log house, and had been used for a residence. 
The chimney had fallen down and the opening was 
turned into a door six or seven feet wide. The seats 
were made of logs with pegs underneath which served 
as legs for the log benches. Mr. A. P. Thomas and 
Miss Emma Pickern taught school at that place. Miss 
Pickern later became the wife of Rev. J. M. Wilcox. 
The building had a dirt floor and later was used for 
many years as a church. The school and church have 
been moved to Nicholls and some of the same material 
is now being used. Many of the Meeks generation 
attended school and church in that old-timey house. 

Old Schools 

One of the old schools before the war was the Hinson 
School. This school was out near Hazlehurst, Ga., 
and was taught many years by James Smith. Other 
teachers there were: Joe Wilcox, Lafayette, and 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 117 

Tillis. This school was patronized largely by the 
Hinsons and the Smiths. 

The Girtman School was probably one of the best 
schools in Coffee County at that time. This school was 
taught by Rev. Thorpe. The school was operated all 
the year for three years. The Girtmans, Hinsons, 
Pickerns, Creeches, and many others attended the 
school. 


The Kirkland School 

The Kirkland School was located about five miles 
south of Sand Hill Church, was in operation more 
than fifty years ago. The building was a log house 
situated on the old Waresboro road near the farm of 
Z. W. Kirkland, Sr. One of the first teachers who 
taught there was “Babe Moore.” Another teacher 
who taught there was Rev. Malcom Meeks. Some of 
those who attended that old school were the families 
of Z. W. Kirkland, Sr., Mose Kirkland, Sr., Josh Kirk¬ 
land, and others. Rev. Meeks was a splendid teacher 
for his day and time. He had splendid order in his 
school room. The writer of this article was one of 
his students, and so was Elder Hymrick Meeks and 
David Kirkland, and others. 

There is no sign of the old school house, nor is there 
any sign where it stood. The only sign of that dear 
old school is a few old gray heads scattered over 
Coffee County. 


118 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


Big Court, October Term, I 869 

Superior Court in Coffee County was called “Big 
Court” by the natives. The court I am telling you 
about gives you a very good idea of the conditions of 
our courts at that time in Coffee County. 

“Big Court Set” on the fourth Monday in October, 
1869. The weather was frosty and fair. The days 
were warm and the nights were cool. By ten o’clock 
in the morning of the first day of the court people 
were coming in from all directions. Some walking, 
some riding, some in wagons and very few had 
buggies. There was not a hotel in Douglas. A few 
homes gave meals and lodging, but most people 
brought their provisions and cooked it on the ground. 
They built up a fire near their carts and wagons and 
slept under the carts and wagons. Old man John 
Spivey, with ten or twelve little Spiveys, kept a little 
store right where the present court house now stands. 
He sold ginger bread, hot coffee, and canned stuff. 

At the time, there was not a railroad nor a bridge 
in Coffee County. When the streams were too full, it 
was to go around—or to go through. Carts and wagons 
were taken across on “flats.” Those on foot “cooned” 
over on logs. The principal case to be tried at this 
term of court was a case of hog stealing. The senti¬ 
ment against hog stealing, sheep stealing and cow 
stealing at this time was very strong. They did not 
think so much against a man fighting just a little bit; 
in fact, he might cut his neighbor into doll rags and 
he would not be despised so much for a crime of that 
sort as he would be for stealing a pig. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 119 


I will now tell you about the case at bar. The Judge 
(in the bench was a little bald-headed man named 
Harris. The Solicitor-General was a tall, slender little 
man with big brown eyes. The Sheriff and his Depu¬ 
ties all wore their hats in the court room to show that 
they were officers of the law and had a right to com¬ 
mand order in the court. All the witnesses and jurors 
were sworn with their hands on the Holy Bible and 
everybody else spit on the floor. 

Old man John S. was on trial for stealing a hog. It 
was alleged that he had stolen a hog from W. W., 
his brother-in-law. When the case was put on trial 
it developed that the hair, hide and ears of a hog 
were found in the woods. Mr. W. discovered that the 
ears were in his mark. The hair had the color of his 
hogs. It further appeared that a hole had been dug in 
the ground about as big as a barrel and about half as 
deep and that this hole in the ground had partly been 
filled with water. The water had been heated by 
heating large rocks and plunging them into the water. 
This was the plan of the rogue to get the water hot 
enough to scald the hog. But the rogue failed to 
make the hair slip and so he skinned the hog, and 
took the meat home. 

All the evidence being in, the lawyers went to the 
jury to make the arguments in the case. There was 
■old Vernon E. McLendon, who had a face like an 
eagle, with eyes like an owl. He was a good lawyer 
and made a good speech. And then came old Colonel 
Dasher, he was as tall as a fishing pole and always 
wore a big beaver hat and a long-tail coat. During 
his speech he would sling his arms around like sticks 
tied to his shoulders, a regular scare crow. The jury 


120 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


brought in a verdict of guilty. The Judge fined the 
prisoner one hundred dollars with cost of the court. 
Mr. W. W. had heard the plea of the lawer telling 
about the sorrows of a poor man who had no meat, 
no hogs in the woods and nothing to buy with. In 
fact, Mr. W. was moved to tears, paid the fine and all 
the cost of the court and took his brother-in-law home 
with him. 

It is said that the city of Rome was built upon 
seven hills. The city of Douglas was built on ten 
hills, and during these terms of big court every hill 
had a fire light on it. Where the jurors and witnesses 
and litigants camped it was a beautiful sight to see 
these camp fires burning on the hills round and about. 
Often they had coffee together, and other drinks as 
well. There was one good old man, “Peace to his 
memory,” who would walk around these camp fires 
if perchance he might find someone who needed help 
and if it so happened that someone had too much to 
drink, was sleepy and had fallen over to rest in sleep, 
this good old man would often take a brick, or a box, 
or a saddle blanket, and put under the poor man’s 
head that he might rest in sleep until the coming of 
day. This saintly man was Riley Wright. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 121 


Old 1 ime Singers 

(Communicated) 

A revival of singing schools in Coffee County has 
set me to thinking. The “ All-day sing and dinner on 
the grounds” is doing untold good to our young peo¬ 
ple. They are singing out the frolic and singing in a 
better day. I bid them all God Speed. 

But the singing school is not a new thing in Coffee 
County. We had them in the “Days of long ago.” 
The first name that comes to my mind is J. M. Wilcox 
of precious memory. He taught me some of the first 
songs I learned to sing. He loved to sing and was a 
successful teacher. He had a sad, sweet voice. He 
loved to sing minor pieces, with sweet and sad senti¬ 
ments and often wept as he sang. He told me that 
he was saved by music, and it happened in this way: 
:His parents were not religious and he spent his Sun¬ 
days in the river swamp. But when he learned music 
he left the swamp and spent most of his Sundays at 
church and other places where he could sing. His 
life was a blessing to Coffee County, and while he 
sings above we who loved him continued to sing here 
below. 

Another one of the old-time singers was Hiram 
Sears. He was a student of music. He took a periodical 
called “Musical Million,” and contributed many arti¬ 
cles to its columns. 

The first sing I attended was taught forty-one years 
ago by William Stewart at the old Bethel Church 
near the homes of John Lott, Mark Wilcox, Dunk 
Douglas, and others. I tried to have a reunion of the 


122 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

old class at our singing convention in 1924 but they 
were so badly scattered I could not get them together. 

In the early seventies several of Monroe Wilcox’s 
students taught singing schools. I remember Joe Day, 
John Solomon, L. Passmore and many others whose 
names I do not recall. 

About 1875 Tom Davis, “Singing Tom” as he was 
called, came to Coffee County from Montgomery 
County and taught several singing schools. He was 
a live wire. He generally taught in some country 
school house. He would take four long seats and 
make a pen. He stood in the center, with tenor on 
one seat, the bass on another, the alto on another, and 
the treble on another. He gave the key note sound 
all around, and then as they sang he walked around 
and around. When a part, like the bass for instance, 
seemed weak, he would jump like a cat to the bass seat 
and join in with the bass and pull them out of their 
trouble, and so on with all the parts. The writer of 
this article is largely a singing by-product of the teach¬ 
ings of “Singing Tom.” 

A little later Marcus A. Pafford appeared on the 
scene as teacher, and now the woods are full of them, 
and all good singers. Our country convention was a 
demonstration of what the singing school will do for 
the child and young people. The devil will never get 
them while they sing. There will be no singing in the 
bad world. All the singing is “Up Yonder” when 
the roll is called. 

And now a note of warning. Do not neglect, the 
“Old-time Songs.” It is all right to sing the other 
kind, but teach the children a few tunes with the 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 123 


metres so they can start the tune in church ;uid prayer 
meeting when called upon to do so. 

And now as you all join in the chorus I will say 
good-bye for this time. 

W. P. W. 

Ward’s Scrapbook, 1905. 


124 Ward’s History of Coffee County 



SUPERIOR COURT CLERKS 


1. A. W. Haddock, 1914-16. 2. Cleon Fales, 1926-1928—now serv¬ 
ing. 3. J. R. Overman, 1906-08-10-12. 4. Simon P. Gaskin. 5. 

Cyrus Gaskin, 1885. 6. Dan W. Gaskin, 1897-99-1901-02-04. 7. 

Session Fales, 1906-1920-1924. 




Wakd’s Histoky of Coffee County 125 


Some Old Graveyards 

One of the oldest graveyards in Coffee County is 
the Ward graveyard, situated on lot of land 364 in 
the 6th district, being the place where Jim Tanner 
now lives, about seven miles east of Douglas. Some 
of the people buried there are: Old man Mose Kirk¬ 
land, the father of Zene Kirkland and Josh Kirkland. 
He was buried there before the Civil War. Also old 
‘'Daddy’’ Ward and old “Mammy” Ward, the father 
and mother of the old Wards of Coffee County. They 
were buried there in 1849. Also the mother of W. M. 
Denton, a prominent citizen of Ware County, is buried 
there. She was buried there about 1845. She was the 
daughter of old James Preston Ward, the father of 
all the Wards in Coffee County. B. II. Tanner, Sr., the 
first sheriff of the county, was also buried there. 

Very few people are being buried there now. Those 
who have loved ones there continue to clean off the 
graves about once a year. 

Sandhill Graveyard 

The Sandhill graveyard, at Sandhill Church, is only 
about fifty years old. However, there are many old 
citizens of Coffee County buried there. Among them 
old man William Dent, Daniel Gaskins, Sr., Thomas 
H. Dent, and others. 

Lone Hill Graveyard 

The graveyard at Lone Hill Church is more than 
fifty years old. Many of the Newbern family are 
buried there. The family had menengitis in 1870 and 


126 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

six of the family died in a week. The father and 
mother and four sons. Mrs. Dunk Douglas was 
buried there about the close of the Confederate War, 
and many other old citizens are buried there. 

Mount Zion Graveyard 

Another old cemetery is Mount Zion, about three 
miles north of Kirkland, Ga. This place was once in 
Coffee County and many of its old citizens are buried 
there. Mack Kirkland and his wife, who are the father 
and mother of Mrs. B. Peterson, are buried there. 
William Kirkland, an old citizen of that side of the 
county, was buried there. 

New Hope Church Graveyard 

The cemetery at New Hope Church, near Ambrose, 
Ga., is more than fifty years old and many old citizens 
are buried there. Among them J. P. Sweat, J. J. 
Jowers, Phillips, Days, and others. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 127 


War Times and Hard Times 

In 1861 a horrible war broke out between the North 
and the South. Our men went to the battle front and 
our women and children, from necessity, went to the 
fields. For every man who took a gun there was a 
woman or a child who took a hoe or a plow and went 
to the fields. The men lost the fight for a separate 
union, but the women won for home and loved ones. 
They lived hard, it is true, but none of them went naked 
or starved. The spirit of the Wiregrass was the spirit 
of 1776. Their hardships as frontier men made them 
hardy and independent. 

Matt Ashley organized the Fourth Georgia Cavalry 
and tendered their services to the South. Later in the 
year Company “C” 50th Georgia was organized with 
John M. Spence as Captain and J. K. Hilliard as Lieu¬ 
tenant. Captain Spence later became a Major and 
was the only man who went from this section of the 
Wiregrass country to be thus promoted. Later on 
many men volunteered and were sent to other com¬ 
panies. 

Historians have told us about the men at the front, 
but not much has been written about the women and 
children at home. The* men at the front were no more 
heroic or self-sacrificing than the women and children 
at home, who kept the wolf from many a door at home, 
and gave inspiration to the men at the front. They 
went to the fields by day and at night spun the thread 
and wove the cloth to clothe themselves and their 
children; and many of them sent clothing to their 
husbands at the front. When no salt could be bought 
to salt the bread, they would dig up the salty dirt in 


128 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

the meat house and boil the salt out of it and use it. 
When no coffee could be bought they would parch 
corn and sweet potatoes and use that. They did not 
consider it hard times to live without flour and sugar 
and the like. They counted it a blessing to have the 
necessaries of life. And so it was. 

I will give you some pen-pictures of Coffee County 
homes during this war, to illustrate the conditions of 
the times. 

A Wiregrass Home in 1864, Scene 1 

Some one has said that “God gave us but one 
mother,” but with some it is different; she was both 
father and mother. When red war smote the land 
with shock of battle and with flood of flame the father 
went to the front and never came back. With three 
baby boys to rear and only a little farm to do it with, 
she ceased her weeping and went to work. The hand 
she might have given in marriage to some other man, 
has been worn out in honest toil for her children. 

Just at the close of the war the country was filled 
with “runaway” negroes. The mother and her three 
little boys lived all alone. One dark dreary evening in 
the summer time, when the thunder roared and the 
lightning flashed, a big black negro walked up to the 
door and asked for something to eat. The mother gave 
him something and he left. He was hardly out of 
sight, when the rain poured in perfect torrents and 
darkness settled down as black as Egypt. The mother 
was much afraid the negro would return to find shelter 
and rob the home. She put the boys to bed and pre¬ 
pared for the worst. She fastened the door, got the 
hatchet and put it under her pillow, blew out the 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 129 

tallow dip and then kneeling by her bedside she com¬ 
mitted herself and her boys to the Great Father of us 
all. We never heard of the negro any more, but> the 
pale outline of that mother in the dim fire light, as 
she kneeled in prayer on that dark stormy night, has 
followed me through all the years. 

A Coffee County Home in 1864, Scene 2 



A pine - knot fire 
blazed on the hearth. 

A widow puts her 
three orphan boys to 
bed. She is busy with 
her spinning as roll 
after roll is drawn 
into finest thread. 

The night is col d. 

Above the whirl of 
the wheel could be 
heard the moan of 
the cold wind on the 
outside. At last the 
broach is finished 
and she turns aside to make up the fire and see that the 
children are covered and warm. Two boys sleep on a 
bed made down on the floor and they get first attention. 
She puts her busy hands on their heads and then 
cautiously feels of their feet. 

Turning away from these, she goes to her own bed 
where the baby boy lies asleep snug and warm. When 
each child has received attention she goes back to the 
wheel to spin and to think. The wheel turns around 


“The wheel turns around and around. 
And the cotton is drawn out into the 
finest thread.^ 


130 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

and around and the cotton turns into finest thread. 
She stares vacantly at the fire and occasionally at her 
work. Just four years ago, her husband went to the 
war and never came back. Great tear drops came to 
her eyes as she thought of him and kept watch over 
his boys. Her eyes grew dimmer and dimmer and the 
wheel turned slower and slower. Soon the wheel and 
the widow both stood still. A tired hand hung heavy 
,on the wheel and a great burden on the widow’s heart. 
Neither could move. The wind was still, the fire 
burned low and not a sound was heard. The widow 
prayed. The burden lifted from her heart, strength 
came to her hand, the wheel started, and music with 
the wheel. Song after a song she sang, and prayer 
after prayer she said. 

Late at night mother and children were all asleep, 
but one little boy did not sleep till his mother lay down, 
he heard the busy wheel and cold winds outside; saw 
his mother’s tears and heard his mother’s prayers. 
The fire, the wheel—the woman—the boy. As long as 
I live and winter winds blow, will I remember the 
spinning wheel and my mother’s prayer in the long, 
long ago. 

A Wiregrass Home in 1865, Scene 3 

John F. Ward was a member of Company C, Fiftieth 
Georgia. He died in March, 1863, and is buried in an 
unknown grave in Virginia. 

The following lines were selected and dedicated to 
his memory. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 


‘There’s a grave on the hillside, 

A lonely, sunken grave, 

Where grow the tall rank grasses 
Above the fallen brave, 

Where summer’s sun smiles warmly 
Where winter’s snow lies deep, 

Where, o’er the unknown dreamer 
Unbidden voices weep. 

‘There’s a grave on the hill, 0 wind, 

Pass by with plaintive moan, 

Bend low the grass above it, 

And sigh ‘Unknown, Unknown!’ 

Stoop down, 0 heavy rain cloud, 

And drop a pitying tear, 

If thou dost mourn earth’s chosen, 

Oh, spend thy sorrow here! 

‘There’s a grave on the hill, 0 Father, 
Thy searching voice shall yet 
Rouse up the sleeping soldier, 

For thou dost not forget, 

There’s a lonely grave on the hillside, 
But, oh, before thy throne, 

The humble shall be honored 

The unknoAvn shall be known ! ’ ’ 


132 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

The father sleeps in an unknown grave in Virginia, 
while the mother rests in the soil of Coffee County. On 
a plain marble slab beneath a Confederate Flag you will 
find these words: 

Sacred to the Memory 
Sarah A. Ward. 

Born May 3, 1834, 

Died October 25, 1918. 

Widow of John F. Ward, 

Company C, Fiftieth Georgia. 

Now sleeps in an Unknown Grave 
near Fredericksburg, Va. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 133 


A Tribute to the Women of the South 

Everybody will concede that before the War Be¬ 
tween the States, under the slavery system, southern 
womanhood was esteemed the highest type in the 
world. Social weakness and depravity among the 
women of the South from bottom to top were matters 
scarcely known. In this respect, the social civiliza¬ 
tion of the South was the age of chivalry preserved 
and perpetuated. Our women also were noted for 
their health and for a certain maturing of beauty 
more and more adorable and attractive as the silver 
threads appeared among the hair. How beautiful my 
dear old grandmother looked on the seventieth an¬ 
niversary of her birthday and the fiftieth of her 
marriage. A few wrinkles were there, to be sure, but 
the proud head was crowned with a white fleece of 
honor and unapproachable beauty. Her eyes were as 
bright and clear as on that night when she looked 
into the soul of my grandfather and there read se¬ 
curity and return for all her honor and her love, fifty 
years before. 


Ward's History of Coffee County 


The Women of the South 

Not Homer dreampt, nor Milton sung, 
Through his heroic verse, 

Nor Prentiss did with wondrous tongue, 

In silver tones, rehearse; 

The grandest thing that ever yet, 

Moved brush, or tongue or pen, 

A theme in radiant glory set, 

To stir the souls of men, 

THE WOMEN OF THE SOUTH. 

Who bade us go with smiling tears? 

Who scorned the renegade? 

Who, silencing their trembling fears, 

Watched, cheered, then wept and prayed? 
Who nursed our wounds with tender care, 
And then, when all was lost, 

Who lifted us from our despair 
And counted not the cost? 

THE WOMEN OF THE SOUTH. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 135 


Coffee County in War 

Coffee County lias done her full share in furnishing 
soldiers and fighting the battles of her country. 

Coffee County was created in 1854. She sent her 
full share of soldiers to the war with the Seminole 
Indians in Florida in 1858. 

In 1861 the Confederate War called more than 300 
soldiers into service from Coffee County. 1898 we 
had the Spanish American War on our hands. In 1917 
the World War made a call for men and supplies and 
Coffee County responded with more than 600 men. 
We were also asked by our country to cut sugar and 
many other things out of our diet in order that we 
might have these necessary things for our soldiers. 

Coffee County has always fought on the side of 
victory except in the Civil War, and in that conflict 
the most horrible of all, we believe that some great 
principles of government were saved to our country. 


136 Ward’s History of Coffee County 



James K. Hilliard 

Clerk of the Superior Court—elected 1856-January 15th, 1858. Clerk 
of the Inferior Court January 15th, 1858, to January 10th, 1860. 
First Lieutenant of Company C, 50th Ga. Reg. He 
built the first hotel in Douglas. 




Ward's History of Coffee County 137 

English Gold 

The Civil War 
ended 1865. Mr. Har¬ 
graves’ two sons and 
two or more of his 
sons-in-law had been 
in the army. Con¬ 
ditions, generally, 
were so disturbed by 
the war that Mr. 

Hargraves d i d not 
make any special ef¬ 
fort to get his money 
from England, until 
the war was over. 

Sometime in 1866, 

Mr. Hargraves held 
a consultation with 
his relatives a n d 
friends and it was 
decided, that his son-in-law, Captain Cuyler W. Hil¬ 
liard, and his son, Abram Hargraves, Jr., be sent at 
once to England for the money. It was regarded as 
a big undertaking, as well as a very expensive one, but 
there was much at stake and so preparations were 
made for the journey. 

The first thing they needed was money to pay ex¬ 
penses; and while Mr. Hargraves was a well-to-do 
farmer, and had plenty of property, there was little 
money in the county at this time, by reason of the fact 
that Confederate money was dead and but little silver 
and gold could be had. After searching among friends 
and relatives of the family, money was found and 



Captain Cuyler W. Hilliard, 

Husband of Teresa Hargraves, daughter 
of Abram Hargraves who received $70,- 
000 from his estate in England. Cap¬ 
tain Hilliard made two trips to Eng¬ 
land for the money. 


138 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


strange as it may seem, Mr. C. A. Ward, Sr., loaned 
Mr. Hargraves $300.00 in ten cent pieces. 

The next thing in order was to have prepared a power 
of attorney, and such other legal papers as were neces¬ 
sary in order that they might receive and receipt for the 
money in England. After securing the money and 
legal papers, Captain Hilliard and Abe Hargraves, 
Jr., went to Savannah, and there they took a steamer 
to New York and from New York they went to Lanca¬ 
shire, England. 

Soon they found the place and location of the gold, 
but when they presented their papers and introduced 
themselves, the banker looked at them in a sort of 
inquiring way and said, “Your papers are all right, but 
who are you?” It seems that their identification was 
not sufficient to satisfy the bankers that they were 
the persons named in the power of attorney. The 
banker told them that the papers had been executed 
for several months and that where so much money was 
involved it was possible for the papers to be stolen or 
to fall into the hands of strangers, and in that way the 
bank would be deceived, and the money paid over to 
persons who had no right to it. 

No explanation or argument by Mr. Hilliard and 
Mr. Hargraves could convince the banker that they 
were the proper persons. And so the only thing to be 
done was to return home and get proper papers of 
identification. Captain Hilliard returned to Georgia to 
get proper papers prepared and in due course of time 
returned to England. Mr. Hargraves had remained 
in England and married an English girl; and so, 
after proper papers of identification were presented, 
the business was adjusted. They began their prep¬ 
arations for their return home. What to do with 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 139 


so much money and it all in gold was a serious 
question. $70,000.00 in gold weighs about two 
hundred and seventy-three pounds. It was finally 
decided to place the money in a strong cedar box 
and take it on the ship with them. And so, Captain 
Hilliard and Mr. Hargraves, Jr., and his young English 
wife, took their box of gold on the ship and bid old 
England a long farewell. 

In due course of time they reached New York. They 
took their box of gold to the hotel and as English gold 
with its pounds and crowns, would be a strange thing 
in Wiregrass Georgia, they decided to have the English 
gold exchanged for American gold. They bought a 
plain iron safe and into this iron safe they placed the 
American gold with its eagles and dollars, and set sail 
for Savannah, Georgia, then out to old Tebeauville, now 
Waycross, Georgia, and then out by private conveyance 
to the old Hargraves farm, a distance of forty miles, or 
more. This farm is about eighteen miles southeast of 
Douglas, Georgia, on the Seventeen-Mile Creek. 

So much money in the possession of one man in Wire- 
grass Georgia soon spread to every home in the county. 

I shall tell you more about this gold at another time. 
Many of his friends and relatives paid him a visit and 
to every near relative he gave a twenty dollar gold 
piece. Mr. Hargraves was a man who did not let 
money turn his head. He remained the same plain old 
man, following the same pursuits of life, feeding his 
hogs, fishing, looking after his mill and cattle, and 
giving the same attention to his farm now, that he did 
before receiving his fortune. In a short time he 
divided most of the money among his children. None 
of them receiving less than $5,000.00, and some of them 
more than that. 



140 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

Wherever the money went, you would see a white 
house spring up, and those who occupied the home 
owned and used a horse and buggy—a very rare thing 
in Coffee County at that time (1873). The coming of 
this amount of money in gold at this time to Coffee 
County, so soon after the Civil War, when money was 
so scarce, made a great impression upon the people of 
Coffee County. Every one who was old enough to 
know anything at that time remembers well when 
Abram Hargraves received his gold from England. 

The little iron safe that first held the English gold 
is now owned by Hon. J. M. Denton. It was sold by 
the administrators of the Hargraves’ estate to Hal 
Peterson, and the administrator of the estate of Hal 
Peterson sold it to J. M. Denton. 


Abram Hargraves, Jr., who went to England with Captain Cuyler 
W. Hilliard for the $70,000 of English gold. Also the wife of 
Abram Hargraves whom he married in England. 




Ward’s History of Coffee County 141 


Regulators 

No people in the South were more patriotic and 
enthusiastic in the Confederate War than the men and 
women of Coffee County. Many of them were the sons 
and daughters of sturdy stock from Virginia. Most of 
them had been reared on the frontier, had fought in the 
Indian Wars, and were fighters both by blood and by 
training. But conditions were all against them and 
by the fall of 1864, the Confederacy was falling to 
pieces. Sherman had marched through Georgia, 
burned Atlanta, captured Savannah and many of our 
soldiers who were at home on furloughs, were not able 
to return to their commands, and were compelled to re¬ 
main at home. And as a consequence many true 
soldiers were called “Deserters.” Others had lost 
heart and came home to stay, let the consequences be 
what they may. The Confederate Government needed 
every soldier in line at this time and details were sent 
to arrest all the deserters and take them back to the 
front. Many soldiers and details were killed by each 
other. In all this time of stress and trouble funny 
things would happen. I give you one instance: Old 
Bill Wall, as he called himself, was one of the fellows 
who remained at home. Mr. Benajah Pearson made 
complaint that “Old Bill Wall” and his bunch were 
eating his sheep and hogs. Mr. Wall heard the com¬ 
plaint and sent Mr. Pearson the following verses; which 
he composed for the occasion. 

“If it is my choice to stay at home, and 
the woods in beauty roam; 

Pluck the flowers in early spring, and hear 
the little songsters sing! 


142 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

“Why, then, should I, for the sake of gain, 
leave my conscience with a stain. 

A traitor! who could hear the name with 
no respect for age or fame; 

Who, for the sake of a little gold, would 
have his friends in bondage sold? 

I would rather take the lash than betray 
them for Confederate trash. 

“You say they kill your sheep and cows, 

You say they take your hoss and your plows, 
You say they took your potatoes away, 

You said they dug your grave one day. 

All of this may be true; 

It makes me sorry for you. 

“Yet, sir, if I, these men betray and they 
were all taken away, 

And they did not in the battlefield fall, 

They would then come back and kill 
‘Old Man Bill Wall’.” 

About the time the Confederacy went to pieces and 
for a few years afterwards there was much lawlessness 
in the country. And some of the best citizens of the 
county organized themselves into a band of “Regula¬ 
tors” for the protection of the country. They held 
the lawbreaks in check for a while and did a lot of 
good until our courts could be organized and put in mo¬ 
tion. I will give you one instance of the character of 
their work: A widow and her three little boys lived 
on a little farm, in the wildwoods of Coffee County. 
A few years before their father went to the war and 
never came back. He was sleeping in an unknown 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 143 


grave, in Virginia. About noontime two men in a 
wagon drove up to flic little home and told the lone 
woman that they were peddlers and wanted to get 
dinner and sell her some goods. But it seems they 
had another purpose in view, and when the insult came 
the woman grabbed a board and was in the act of 
striking the man nearest to her when they begged like 
dogs for mercy, got into the wagon and left. News of 
the occurrence spread in the neighborhood. As soon as 
dark came a fire was kindled in the neighborhood 
which meant danger was near. The “Regulators’’ 
jumped in their saddles and soon the clatter of hoofs 
was heard and the clans were gathering in defense of 
Southern womanhood. Far into the night a man 
came up to the house where the woman lived and 
called her. She went to the front cautiously thinking 
it might be the peddlers returning, but a voice called 
out in a friendly tone and said, “We want some matches 
please mam.” The woman recognized the voice, but 
she asked who it is that wants matches? The man 
said, “We are two peddlers. Our wagon broke down 
on the edge of the creek and we need a fire.” The 
woman recognized the man’s voice and the man’s walk. 
She knew he was a friend and he only told her that 
he was a peddler to let her know that they were there 
to defend her against any and all who might insult 
and attack her. And so these brave men, these Con¬ 
federate soldiers, these Regulators lay around this 
woman’s home at night to defend her and her little boys 
at any cost. 

These were the times that tried men’s souls. A 
county and a people that came through a time like that, 
were well prepared to overcome all difficulties. 


144 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


An Ideal Wedding 

In the fall of 1867 the announcement was made 
that Mr. Sydney Hargraves and Miss Mary Lott would 
be married in December. They were distant relatives. 
Mr. Hargraves, a grandson, and Miss Lott, a great 
grand-daughter of “Mother Jones.” Miss Lott lived 
with her widowed mother, Mrs. Mark Lott, about ten 
miles Northeast of Douglas, and Mr. Hargraves lived 
with his father, about eighteen miles southeast of 
Douglas. 

This marriage was celebrated in the usual way for 
the better class of country people in that day and 
generation. Preparation was made for the invited 
guests who were supposed to include all the near rela¬ 
tives and many friends of the contracting parties. 

The best cook in the country was employed to super¬ 
intend for a week at the Lott home, and supervise all 
preparations for the occasion. Also bake cakes, pies, 
and goodies of every sort. 

A beef and several hogs, chickens by the score, and 
turkeys a plenty were used in the wedding supper. 
One cake of immense size called the “wedding cake” 
required the skill of a cake artist. It was supposed to 
have all the frills and furbelows which the last word in 
cake making required. A ring was placed in this cake 
and when the cake was cut by the wedding party, the 
person who received the piece of cake containing the 
ring, was said to be the next one to get married. 
Everything was done on a big scale, nothing was 
spared in time or money to make the occasion memo¬ 
rable. Not only was “the big pot put in the little pot,” 
but all the pots were put on. A sugar boiler, contain- 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 145 


ing sixty gallons, was made full of rice pilau. When 
the wedding day arrived, people came from all direc¬ 
tions. They came in carts, wagons, on horse back, and 
many of them came a-foot. All of the Lott negroes, 
old Cap, Aunt Martha, Sam, Ann and all the others 
were there, nice and clean, spick and span, all lined 
up to see Miss Mary get married. As the evening 
passed and the sun was getting low in the west, 
the crowd gathered about the front yard. Some 
thing great was going to happen in that family pretty 
soon. The groom and his best man, each riding white 
horses, and his four attendants were hiding in the 
woods, awaiting the signal for them to appear. Miss 
Mary and her attendants were in readiness. 

Just as the sun went down, the signal was given to 
the groom and his party. The feet of horses were 
heard rumbling in the distance. Soon the two white 
horses, leading, were seen and then all the others came 
in view, and with increasing speed they dashed up to 
the front gate. Those in the party were Sydney Har¬ 
graves, the groom; Lewis C. Wilcox, Daniel Lott, Mark 
Lott, Jessie Lott, J. M. Denton, and Jim Lankford. 

When they arrived they quickly alighted from their 
horses and rushed into the house. They were met at 
the door by the bride and her .attendants. The mar¬ 
riage ceremony was performed by Moses Kirkland, a 
Justice of the Peace. 

After the usual formal congratulations, supper was 
announced. A large table had been prepared in the 
yard; dozens of candles on the table and around about 
furnished light for the occasion. In addition to 
candles, fires were built in the yard around the prem¬ 
ises, to light up the grounds. 


146 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

The wedding party had been provided with a table 
of honor. The other people ate at a long table. There 
was plenty for all, both white and colored. From 
supper time until ten o ’clock was spent in a social way, 
talking with old friends and relatives, renewing old 
acquaintances and making new friends. At ten 
o’clock, dancing began. Old Lewis Lott, colored, 
played the fiddle for them. Uncle Lewis was in all 
his glory as he played the fiddle. He leaned back in 
his chair, patted his foot and yodled his voice in 
unison with the music and dancing. Old Captain 
“beat the strings” and business was lively. 

The Infair 

The next night the Infair was held at the home of 
the bridegroom, thirty miles away. Only people of 
wealth in those days could afford to have both a 
wedding and an Infair. The wedding supper was given 
by the bride and the supper at the Infair was given by 
the bridegroom. 

Old Uncle Abe Hargraves had made great prepara¬ 
tions for the Infair and it was in keeping, in every 
way, with the times and all that was expected of the 


occasion. 


AVard’s History of Coffee County 147 


The Constitution and the Flag 

During the Confederate War many people who were 
able and patriotic bought patriotic quilts and put them 
on their beds. Patriotic quilts were printed tops and 
quilted like other quilts. The patriotic quilt had 
printed in large letters a motto like this: “The Consti¬ 
tution and the Flag.” This motto was intended to 
teach the household in that home that it was not the 
home of a rebel but on the contrary was the home of a 
patriotic citizen fighting in the Confederate army. 

In old testament times the Jews wore quotations from 
their law on their arms and sometimes around their 
foreheads but it remained for the Confederate Soldier 
to wrap his babies and cover his bed with the emblem 
of his devotion to his country. 

I wonder if one of those patriotic quilts can be 
found in Coffee County at this time, 1930? 


148 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


Railroads in Coffee County 

The Brisbane Railroad 

The earliest project to build a railroad within the 
confines of Coffee County was that known as the Bris¬ 
bane railroad, having the eastern terminus at Mobley’s 
Bluff on the Ocmulgee river in the northwestern corner 
of the county and the western terminus was to be Al¬ 
bany on Flint river in Dougherty County. 

The project was conceived in New York City in 1856. 
The survey was made in 1857 and was a bee-line be¬ 
tween the two points and enroute touched two county 
seats—one was Irwinville in Irwin county and the other 
Isabella in Worth County. The survey and grading 
was in charge of a man by the name of Brisbane, from 
whom it took its name. He came here from New York 
City and with him a large force of Irish laborers who 
were to do the grading. The work of grading went 
well for more than a year. It was executed upon the 
idea that a locomotive could not pull a train of cars up 
a grade and the roadbed was perfectly level so far as 
it went. The grading was completed from Mobley’s 
Bluff to a point beyond Isabella, said to have been 
within twelve or fifteen miles of Albany. 

Brisbane and his New York co-projectors met with 
financial troubles supposed to have risen because of 
the threatened war between the North and the South. 
He failed to meet his payrolls and the men, finding 
themselves without money with which to provide them¬ 
selves with food and clothing, were forced to quit and 
seek other employment. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 149 


Hon. Nelson Tift, the founder of Albany, became 
interested in the project; he was anxious for its com¬ 
pletion which would unite the navigable Ocmulgee 
river with what could be made a navigable Flint river 
with this means of transportation; it appeared to him 
a very progressive movement and promised much to 
his embryo city—Albany. Hence he loaned much time 
and influence in an effort to straighten out the financial 
impediment and complete the road into Albany. The 
war came on and this splendid project had to be aban¬ 
doned. It was so near and yet so far from Albany. 
Mr. Tift was a Connecticut man. 

However, the failure of this railroad project was 
not without benefit to Coffee County. It left within 
its borders some very desirable citizens from the ranks 
of the Irish laborers. Lands were cheap, could be 
bought on credit and on the most liberal terms. Many 
of these young Irishmen became attached to the coun¬ 
try and the people with whom they were thrown in 
contact. They decided not to return to New York but 
remain in South Georgia and wisely determined to 
buy lands and settle down to farming and stock-rais¬ 
ing for which the country was admirably adapted. 
They prospered because they were thrifty and ener¬ 
getic. They settled along the line of the railroad they 
had attempted to build. Among those who settled in 
Coffee County are remembered the names of Neugent, 
McGovern, McDonald, O’Brien, Nowland and Spivey. 
Their descendants are still in this territory and have 
grown into a host of fine people and citizens. 


150 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

The Douglas and McDonald Railroad 

The first railroad locomotive to reach Douglas rolled 
into Douglas sometime in 1896, pulling a load of brick 
to build a schoolhouse, which was the first brick build¬ 
ing built in Douglas. A tram-road had been in opera¬ 
tion for some time between McDonalds Mill and Down¬ 
ing, a turpentine still five miles south of Douglas. 
And so when the city of Douglas began the construc¬ 
tion of a brick schoolhouse the need of a railroad was 
felt, and so for that reason and for other reasons the 
tram-road from McDonalds mill, now Axson, was ex¬ 
tended to Douglas. This little road gave Douglas its 
first outlet to the big wide world. We went to Way- 
cross, Jacksonville, Brunswick, Savannah, etc., by way 
of this little road. And so I thought it worth while 
to add this little scrap of history to the story of the 
progress of Coffee County. 

Origin of the Georgia & Florida Railroad 
and Development 

Wadley and Mt. Vernon Extension Railroad Com¬ 
pany built Douglas to Broxton 1901. Extended to the 
River in 1903, changed to the Douglas, Augusta & 
Gulf in 1905. Took over Ocilla, Pine Bloom and 
Valdosta Railroad from Pine Bloom to Nashville, Ga., 
and built from Douglas to Willacoochee and Pine 
Bloom in 1905 giving railroad from Barrow’s Bluff 
on Ocmulgee River to Nashville, Ga., 59 y 2 miles of 
road. 

Sold to John Skelton Williams and Middendort, Will¬ 
iams and Company in May, 1906. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 151 

&ed Bear Creek to river built by Douglas capital 
and Captain James, of Wadley, Ga. 

First plan was to build to Ocmulgee River at Bar¬ 
row’s Bluff to secure cheaper freight rates by securing 
water connection with boats on river. 

Originators planned to ultimately cross Ocmulgee 
River and connect with Wadley and Mt. Vernon Rail¬ 
road, owned by Capt. James, extending from Wadley 
toward Oconee river and thence to Augusta. Chief 
Promoters Wadley, Mt. Vernon Extension Railroad 
Company; Capt. James, Wadley, Ga.; Capt. J. W. 
Miller, Macon, Ga.; B. Peterson, Douglas; John Mc¬ 
Lean, Douglas, Ga.; F. L. Sweat, Douglas, Ga.; W. W. 
McDonald, Douglas; J. W. Quincey, Douglas, Ga.; J. 
S. Lott, Douglas, Ga., and other citizens of Douglas. 

The Georgia and Florida Railroad was organized by 
Mr. John Skelton Williams and associated during the 
early part of 1906. The shops at Douglas, Coffee 
County, Georgia, were built during the year 1909. The 
machinery equipment, etc., were set in the shop dur¬ 
ing the year, 1910, and when we moved into the shops it 
was a great day for the shop employees at Douglas, 
as we had been working outdoors entirely for about 
three years. 

Below you will find a partial list of the officials and 
employees that were in service shortly after the Geor¬ 
gia and Florida Railroad was organized. 

The first general manager was Mr. Cecil Gabbitt, who 
was later succeeded by Mr. J. M. Turner, who was 
placed in charge of construction and operation. 

Mr. W. H. Alexander, Auditor, formerly employed 
by the D. A. & G. R. R. 


152 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

Mr. B. F. Holdzendorff, Superintendent, formerly em¬ 
ployed by D. A. & G. 

Mr. Tinsley, Trainmaster, was formerly employed 
by M. & S. W. R. R. 

Mr. R. L. Loftin, Trainmaster, employed by the G. 
& F. 

Mr. J. E. Mathis, Master Mechanic, employed by 
G. & F. 

During the years 1918, 1919, 1920 and 1921 the rail¬ 
roads were operated under the direction of the United 
States Railway Administration, and during this time 
all of the employees were enjoying the best rates of pay 
that had ever been known in the history of this rail¬ 
road, or any other railroad, hard times were forgotten. 

The road suffered a very serious loss during January 
of 1929 by the death of Mr. W. H. Dyer, who was 
superintendent of motive power, and Mr. M. T. Lani- 
gan, Auditor, both of them having been very efficient 
executives for a number of years, and figured to a 
large measure in the development of the Georgia & 
Florida Railroad. Those who are assigned to the 
duties formerly supervised by these two gentlemen 
and others who came in contact with them cannot but 
miss their presence on the road at this time. 

The road was very fortunate to have for its chief 
executive, Mr. H. W. Purvis, who is conversant with 
problems of transportation in every detail. He pos¬ 
sesses the faculties and the talent to promote and 
develop plans. 

Mr. George W. Crowder, of Douglas, Ga., succeeded 
Mr. Dyer, superintendent of motive power. No better 
selection could have been made. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 153 


Sand Hill Church 

One of the first large religious meetings I ever at¬ 
tended in Coffee County was the Smyrna Association, 
held under a brush arbor where Sand Hill Church is 
now located, about seven miles east of Douglas. This 
Association was held about the year 1875. I know it 
was a long time ago, for curly-headed Hymrick Meeks, 
now one of the best homespun Baptist preachers in 
Georgia, was hardly big enough to wear socks. Elders 
George Newbern, Johnie G. Taylor, Rev. Blitch, Bill 
Carver, Thomas P. 0 ’Neal and other ministers attended 
the meeting. The weather was fine and the attendance 
was large. The people came from all over the country. 
Several counties were represented. Great preparations 
had been made by the citizens of the neighborhood to 
entertain all who came. Hogs were butchered, beeves 
were killed and chickens slayed by the hundreds. 
Those who lived in the locality and who helped to 
entertain were: William Dent, Dunk Douglas, Dan 
Gaskins, Sarah Ward and others. The people came in 
droves, in all sorts of conveyances, and fell in at the 
nearest homes until they were all full and running over. 
Then others went to the next home and so on until all 
had a place to eat and sleep. At many homes, for 
lack of seats, the people sat around on the edge of the 
porches and let their legs hang off to the ground. Mr. 
Douglas entertained about seventy-five people at his 
home with horses to feed in proportion. You have 
never seen more open-hearted hospitality. The by¬ 
word was “Get down and come in and make yourself 
at home. Put up your horses and feed them.” It was 
a great time. We met so many new people. All of 


154 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

them good and kind. They came fresh from good 
country homes, in love with their neighbors and all 
the world. I was a small boy, but I took in everything 
that came along. I often laugh today over things that 
happened then. Our lot was full of horses, some in 
the potato patch, some in the cotton patch and others 
scattered over the fields. While all these good old 
brothers were talking about the meeting with all their 
minds and heart on the association, one of the broth¬ 
ers called out, “Brother Jim, where is your horse?” 
Brother Jim, with a wave of his hand towards the 
field said, “I just turned my horse into the associa¬ 
tion.” Well, we all laughed and kept on laughing for 
up to that good hour we had never seen a horse turned 
into the association. That association was a great 
meeting. It was the planting of Sand Hill Church and 
from that church several other churches have come. 
Many of the old preachers are dead and gone but the 
good work that was begun then still lives and goes on 
to bless the world. 

W. P. WARD. 

From Ward’s Scrap Book, 1905. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 155 


Newspapers 



The first paper 
printed in Coffee 
County was the 
“Pioneer,” by Will¬ 
iam Parker and Fred 
Kicketson, about 
1870. The paper was 
published at Pear¬ 
son, Ga., and it was 
printed on a home 
made press. The 
roller was made of 
wood. The type was 
inked, the paper 
spread out upon the 
type and the wooden roller was rolled over the paper 
by hand. This paper was sold to a man named L. A. 
Lutes. 


William Parker 


About 1876 William Parker started the “Coffee 
County Gazette.” In 1883 the paper was sold to W. P. 
Ward. In 1884 the paper was enlarged to a seven 
column paper and moved to Way cross, Georgia, and 
was called “The Waycross Headlight.” 

William Parker began the publishing of the “South 
Georgia Land Agent” at Pearson, Ga., in 1883. C. A. 
Ward and Pat Smith started the “Douglas Breeze” in 
1888. 


The Douglas Leader was started by A. B. Finley as a 
Populist paper. 



156 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

Quincey and McDonald started the Douglas Leader, 
which was bought by J. M. Freeman and changed to 
the Douglas Breeze. In 1904, W. P. Ward organized a 
stock company and began the publication of The 
Coffee County Gazette. In 1906, The Douglas Enter¬ 
prise* and the Coffee County Gazette merged and be¬ 
came The Douglas Enterprise. Coffee County Progress 
was started in 1915 by T. A. Wallace and now the 
present editor is Fred Ricketson. 

Coffee County News started in 1906 by S. H. Christo¬ 
pher and was sold to the Douglas Enterprise. 

William Parker, a prominent merchant and business 
man of Pearson, Ga., and later of Waycross, Ga., was 
born and reared in Coffee County, Ga., and was edu¬ 
cated in Palmyra, N. Y. 

He edited and published the first paper in Coffee 
County—“The Pioneer.” He later established the 
“Coffee County Gazette” and later in life he pub¬ 
lished the “South Georgia Land Agent.” 

Mr. Parker was a very devout- Christian man and 
organized “The Christian Layman Association.” 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 157 


Where Uncle Jim Lives 

In a two-story 
house, half hidden by 
the pines at the foot 
of the hill, is where 
Uncle Jim lives. 

Everybody knows 
Uncle Jim. He writes 
the “Note Book” in 
the Douglas Enter- 
prise and marries 
couples. I have 
passed his door 
nearly every day for 
twenty years and 
more. “Aunt Sally,” Uncle Jim’s good wife, often 
stood in the door and talked to me as I went by. But 
she is not there any more. She was old and sick and 
tired and God took her, and now, Miss Dollie, the 
good Angel of Douglas, presides over the home, and 
little Simmie, the granddaughter, came like a sun¬ 
beam from Heaven to help and bless. 

Uncle Jim has lots to be thankful for. Nearly all 
the winds blow good to him. A peach tree came up 
in the chimney corner, like Jonah’s gourd, to shut out 
the sun, and likewise a plum tree in the front yard. 
It bears fruit and makes shade, and is a restful place 
for the birds which so often come and sing for Uncle 
Jim. Uncle Jim holds court and writes the “Note 
Book” in his office at the court house, but he prefers 
to marry the folks under the plum tree; sometimes out 
of the sunshine and many times in the moonshine. 



158 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


Uncle Jim is not strong enough to go to church at 
night, and so the good winds blew a Presbyterian 
church close by, and when the nights are cold he sits 
irThis big chair and nods and smokes and hears the 
singing and the sermon. 

Uncle Jim has the best friends in the world. They 
bring him so many good things, the biggest and the 
best of the fruits and flowers. To many of the children, 
he is a sort of uncrowned king. They think of him 
as they do Santa Claus, as some one who loves them 
and helps them. Uncle Jim has big gray eyes and 
they often fill up with tears of gratitude as some kind¬ 
ness is shown him. But Uncle Jim is getting old. 
The sun is getting low in the West and the shadows 
are getting longer. He cannot stay with us much 
longer. He has written his life and thoughts into 
thousands of the people of his generation, and ere 
long, perhaps, he may look out of his window, through 
the pines, up into the sky beyond the stars where 
Sally is waiting at the beautiful Gates. All the light 
will go out and Uncle Jim will be gone. The trees 
will cease to bloom and the birds will come and sing 
no more. So, if you wish to show him a favor or do 
him a kindness, do it now. 

Ward’s Scrapbook, 1910. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 159 


A Log Rolling, Quilting and A Frolic 

Much of the land cleared soon after the war was 
done in the most primitive way. When a farmer de¬ 
cided to clear up a piece of land he split every tree 
on the land that would split into fence rails. The 
logs that would not split were cut up into pieces twelve 
or fifteen feet long to be burned at some convenient 
time in the fall or winter. The farmer gave a “log 
rolling, quilting and a frolic.” The neighbors were 
invited to a big dinner and a “log rolling.” The wives 
and daughters came to sew and to quilt. The method 
of rolling logs was to take hand spikes, prize up the 
log, and put about three hand spikes under the log 
with two men to each stick, one on each side of the 
log. Many a contest in strength was made in lifting 
logs. If the log was very heavy the men had to be 
very strong in their arms, legs and backs to lift. If 
the man at the other end of the stick was not likewise 
a very strong man, he could not come up with his 
end of the log and so he became the laughing stock 
of the crowd. It often happened that a small man 
was much stronger than a big man. I knew one little 
man who could lift as heavy a log as any man; the 
harder he pulled at his hand spike, redder and redder 
his face got, the veins in his neck bulged larger and 
larger. When a man claimed he was very much of a 
man and then wanted the light end of the load he 
would bluff the crowd by saying, “I can carry this 
and then some. Jump on my end of the log and take 
a ride.” 

While the men were busy rolling logs in the fields, 
the women and girls at home were busy making quilts 


160 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


and cooking dinner. One of the main dishes for dinner 
was a sixty-gallon sugar boiler full of rice and chicken 
and backbones. The largest dinner pot was full of 
greens and dumplings. When the greens were served 
on the largest dish a boiled ham was placed on top, 
while sweet potatoes, cracklin bread, potatoes, mudgen 
and cakes, two-story biscuits which were served in 
large quantities. When dinner time comes some one 
blows a big cow horn loud and long. All hands took 
a drink and went to dinner. All sorts of dishes are 
used on the table, broken cups, cracked plates, knives 
without handles, forks with but one prong, but they 
all had a good dinner and a bushel of fun while they 
ate. When the log rolling and the quilting is over, 
and the sun sets into the West, old Bill Mundy, the 
colored man, came in with his fiddle. A lot of sand 
was put on the floor and everything is cleared for 
the- dance. The dancers get on the floor with their 
partners, the fiddler starts up “The One-eyed Gopher,” 
and the frolic is on. The tune “One-eyed Gopher” 
played by the fiddler was a repetition of the words, 
“Oh, the one-eyed gopher, he fell down and couldn’t 
turn over,” etc. He would play it high, play it fast, and 
play it slow. When the dance is over the old fiddler 
kept on fiddling. They couldn’t stop him. He said 
he had a contract with the boss men to play all night 
for five dollars and he said he couldn’t break his 
contract. If he broke his contract it would ruin his 
business. He said he could make a new contract and 
that would do away with the old contract, and so they 
made a new contract. He charged them ten dollars 
to quit, but he decided to give them a farewell tune. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 161 


They got Sandy Moore to beat the strings while lie 
played ‘‘Squirrel Gravy,” and thus the frolic ended. 

About the time the crowd was leaving, up came a 
bunch of rough necks to pick a fuss and a fight with 
some of the crowd. This was a bunch who never 
worked and had not helped with the log rolling that 
day, they only hoped to get a drink and a fight. The 
young men put their heads together and decided to 
play these fellows a trick. At the end of the house 
near the kitchen chimney a clay hole had been dug 
to get clay with which to build the kitchen chimney. 
The hole was deep as a man’s head and about half 
full of water. The young men figured, if they should 
go around behind the kitchen and get up a fuss among 
themselves that the rough necks would run around 
to get in the fight. And so the fuss was started and 
the rough necks ran around the kitchen just as they 
supposed and fell heels over head into the clay hole. 
Every head of them got ducked and wet from top to 
bottom. They got thoroughly cooled off and there 
was no fight pulled off that night. And thus ends a 
“log rolling, a quilting, and a frolic” in Coffee County. 


162 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


The Hour of Prayer in a Saw Mill 

It is early twilight in the pine woods of South 
Georgia. The morning air is crisp and cool. The 
smoke goes up from a hundred shacks in the “ Quar¬ 
ters” of a big saw mill. 

“Big Jim,” the whistle of the big mill, had sounded 
the signal for rising just one hour before. The fire 
in the slab pit that “burns forever and ever” casts a 
halo over the mill grounds around and about. It is 
now the hour of prayer. The big boilers are all hot 
and running over with steam. The log train fired up, 
pants and waits the word to go. Everything is ready. 
Everybody on time. A short blast of the whistle and 
the men hurry from all parts of the mill grounds. 
They gather in a circle-like group on the lumber docks. 
In the center of the group stands a man with a Bible 
in hand. All sorts of men and boys gather around. 
The engineer with cap in hand, the sawyer with his 
bill of lumber, laborers, white and colored, with dinner 
pails on their arms, and chop axes on their shoulders. 

The man with the book, in slow and measured tones, 
read a part of Psalm 133, which begins like this: 
“Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren 
to dwell together in unity,” etc. He lifts his hands 
towards heaven and prayed: ‘ ‘ Our Father in heaven, 

we thank thee for the light of this morning and for the 
promise of a new day. We thank thee for all the 
blessings of life. Bless us this day with our homes 
and houses. Help us to do a good day’s work, but most 
of all help us to be true to thee, and may the one 
purpose of our lives be to do thy will. Amen.” You 
hear the shuffle of feet, the rattle of dinner pails, and 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 163 

the whiz of the escaping steam. The bells on the log 
train rings. The cry of “All Aboard” is given and 
the trains pull out for the many miles away. The 
steam in the big mill is turned out and the great fly 
wheel spins round like a top. The log carriage sweeps 
in position, the man with the canthook puts a log in 
place. The saw sings and clatters and moans and the 
real day’s work began. 

Out in the woods many miles away the men with 
chop axes are singing. Trees are falling and the pine 
woods present a busy and happy scene. Back in the 
mill quarters all day long you hear the women singing 
“Swing Low Sweet Chariot” and other familiar songs. 
Everybody busy and everybody happy. Plenty to do 
and plenty to eat. God’s country in action—in South 
Georgia. 

That happy time was many years ago. Change and 
decay come to all things. There is now nothing left 
of that old mill, but the sweet memory rests of those 
days, which, like sweet incense, floats back to you 
and me to bless and sanctify our lives. It was Walter 
Lott, of precious memory, who ran the saw mill, called 
the men together, read God’s Word to his helpers, and 
offered prayer in their behalf. Now he is gone, and 
the big mill is gone and soon we shall all be gone. 
Let us hope that some sweet day our God shall gather 
us all with our songs and prayers to live with Him 
and our loved ones forever and ever. 


164 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


The Georgia Colonel 

So far as I know, Georgia is the only state in the 
Union where lawyers are called colonels. Some people 
think this is a mere captious name, but it is not. When 
a person has been sworn in as an attorney-at-law that 
person at once becomes a part of the court and a part 
of the machinery for enforcing the law of the land, 
and good reasons for which I shall now tell you. 

As you know, Georgia was settled by General Ogle¬ 
thorpe. He was the first Governor of Georgia. He 
was a military man. In the organization of the State 
of Georgia, General Oglethorpe, the military man, im¬ 
pressed himself upon the state of which he was 
governor. 

To be brief we will start with General Oglethorpe, 
the governor. Next to the governor we have the 
attorney-general, and next to the attorney-general we 
have the solicitor-general, and coming on down the 
line we have the courts, with their attorneys being a 
part and parcel of the court. The next office below a 
general being that of “colonel,” and so by operation 
of law every person sworn in as an attorney-at-law 
is either a general or a colonel. 

In order to show the military coloring in Georgia, 
the state is laid out in militia districts. 

And each judicial system is fashioned after a mili¬ 
tary system with its governor-general, attorney- 
general, solicitor-general, and colonels; then it follows 
that a very large percentage of the power and re¬ 
sponsibility of the courts is vested in the lawyers that 
practice in the courts. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 165 


In closing’ let me suggest this, it* all the members 
of the court from the judge to the solicitor-general, 
and all the lawyers who are sworn officers of the 
courts, would line up with the judge and the solicitor- 
general and do a lot of team w r ork together, I believe 
a long step would be taken forward in the administra¬ 
tion of justice and in the enforcement of our laws 
and that soon our great country would be in deed and 
in truth ‘'the home of the brave and the land of the 
free.” 


166 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


The Ordinary 

So far as I know, Georgia is the only state in the 
Union that has an ordinary. The corresponding office 
in most other states is the county judge. 

The ordinary has a jurisdiction all his own, and 
in addition he is the Judge of the Court of Ordinary. 
Many years ago his jurisdiction was so extensive and 
his duties so numerous that he was called the “Guar¬ 
dian of the County.” But in late years Boards of 
County Commissioners have taken charge of all county 
matters. The work of the ordinary is now confined 
mostly to the administration of estates, guardianships 
for minors, pensioners, lunatics, marriage licenses, etc. 
The office is usually filled by mature men who have 
some knowledge of business and law. The ordinary is 
supposed to be able to advise widows and orphans, 
handle pension matters, and in all things make him¬ 
self useful to those who happen to need his help. He 
needs to be a man with busy hands, a good head and 
a warm heart. We now have 161 ordinaries in Georgia 
—a noble band they are, working for little pay and 
trying to help and bless the needy and the helpless. 

The ordinary has many hard problems to solve. The 
people who make much of the friction in life are the 
ones he has to deal with. Much of his time is de¬ 
voted to an effort to disentangle the threads of human 
life—to satisfy and soothe the sorrows of human hearts. 
All sorts of people with all sorts of troubles come for 
his advice and help. The settlement of estates, the 
cry of orphan children, the lunatic, the crippled man, 
the pauper—old and sick, and all forsaken find the 
way to his office; in short, the needy of all classes who 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 167 


need a friend find their way to his ofiice. The office 
of ordinary is not a moneyed office, but an office of real 
service. The ordinary is a man who can keep busy 
at something useful every day. He can give advice. 
He can write letters for those who can’t write. He 
can examine records for those who can’t pay him for 
his services; yes, and sometimes he can weep with those 
who weep. But I must stop my thinking along this 
line. The day is cold, but my heart is made warm by 
these thoughts, and so with a faith unfailing in the 
great “I Am” I take up my pen and begin a new 
year’s work, leaning on the “Everlasting Arms.” 

Ward’s Scrapbook, January, 1906. 


168 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


Two Boys From Clinch 



M. D. Dickerson W. C. Lankford 

Judge of Superior Courts of Now in Congress, 11th Dis- 
Waycross District trict of Georgia 

About the year 1901 two boys came “from Clinch,” 
but they are not boys any more. They soon fell in 
line with the progressive spirit of Coffee County and 
became among the best citizens of the county. One 
of these young men signed his name “Marcus D. 
Dickerson” and the other young man signed his name 
“ W. C. Lankford.” They came together from Clinch 
County to Coffee County and formed a partnership for 
the practice of law. When they wrote their names 
jointly they wrote it “Lankford and Dickerson, At- 
torneys-at-Law, Douglas, Georgia.” These two young 
men came from two pioneer families from Clinch 







Ward’s History of Coffee County 169 

County. They were strong in body and in mind. They 
had the training that a good farmer usually gives a 
good son. These boys were taught how to work. They 
knew how to build a rail fence and how to lay off a 
“straight row.” They attended the “old field” schools 
of Clinch County, and that means they know how to 
“figure and spell.” Such a foundation as that is a 
good foundation on which to build a successful life. 

Marcus D. Dickerson was born in Clinch County, 
Georgia, February 12th, 1880. He attended school in 
Jasper, Florida, and Abbeville, Georgia. He graduated 
in June, 1901, from the State University. He came 
to Douglas in 1901 and formed a law partnership with 
W. C. Lankford. This partnership lasted for several 
years. He was appointed Solicitor of the City of 
Douglas in 1902, and was elected by the people in 
1904 and served until 1908. In 1910 Mr. Dickerson 
was elected Solicitor-General of the Waycross Circuit, 
and in 1914 was re-elected without opposition. Mr. 
Dickerson married Miss Ethel Frink of Douglas, Geor¬ 
gia, January 18th, 1905. They have three children: 
David Dickerson, Will Dickerson, now a young mem¬ 
ber of the Douglas bar, and Miss Ethel Dickerson. 

Mr. Dickerson was elected Judge of the Superior 
Courts of the Waycross Circuit in 1928. He is making 
an excellent judge. 

W. C. Lankford was born in Clinch County, Georgia, 
in 1877, and came to Douglas in 1901 and formed a 
law partnership with Mr. Dickerson in the year 1901. 
Mr. Lankford was elected Judge of the City Court of 
Douglas, Georgia, and served for many years. He was 
regarded as a good judge, able, honorable, and up¬ 
right. 


170 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


In 1918 Mr. Lankford was elected to Congress from 
the 11th District and has been re-elected at every 
election since that time. Mr. Lankford came up from 
among the people and he continues to keep in touch 
with that great throng of citizens known as the “Com¬ 
mon People.’’ He studies their interests and knows 
their needs. He is always on the job in Washington, 
a roll call never finds him out of place. 

October 17th, 1906, Mr. Lankford married Miss 
Mattie Lott of Douglas, Georgia, a daughter of Mr. 
and Mrs. J. S. Lott. They have three children: Chester, 
Cecil and Laura. 

And thus ends another chapter in the lives of ‘ ‘ Two 
Boys from Clinch.” One is Judge of the Superior 
Courts, being the highest trial courts in Georgia, the 
other is in the Congress of the United States, the high¬ 
est law-making body in the world. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 171 


Saw Mills and Lumber 

In 1858, when the court house was built in Coffee 
County, in Douglas, there was not a steam saw mill 
in Coffee County. Old man Jack Ward had a saw 
mill run by water about the close of the war. The saw 
was an “upright” saw, and was a very slow process 
of getting lumber. The lumber out of which the court 
house was built was sawed up the Ocmulgee River and 
floated down to Barrows Bluff and then hauled out to 
Douglas with oxen. There were a great many little 
pepper mills in Coffee County run by water, but so 
far as I know they did not saw lumber. They were 
used entirely for grinding corn. The farmers all over 
the country would put a bushel of corn on a horse or 
mule and send it to the mill. It is said that an old 
farmer went to one of these mills in a big hurry for 
his meal. He waited and waited and the little mill 
went round and round. At last with a good deal of 
spirit he said to the miller, “Your little old mill grinds 
awful slow. I can eat the bread as fast as you grind 
it.” Whereupon the miller pep up and said, “In how 
long could you do it?” The man waiting for his 
meal replied, “ ’Til I perish to death.” 

About 1869, when railroads came through Coffee 
County, the big saw mills came with them. One of 
the largest mills in Coffee County was operated by 
The Southern Pine Company at Nicholls, Georgia. An¬ 
other large mill was operated at Saginaw about two 
miles west of Nicholls. Another large mill was op¬ 
erated at Broxton, Georgia, by the Dorminey Price 
Lumber Company. After running at Broxton for many 


172 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


years the mill was moved to Douglas and remained 
here for several years. 

About the year 1906 the Darby Lumber Company 
operated a mill at Douglas, Georgia. These mills were 
all of the large type and had tram roads reaching to 
the various sections of the country which brought logs 
to the mills. 

When these large mills ceased to operate a lot of 
smaller mills were built all over the county. They had 
no tram roads and used mules to haul the logs. 

Another large mill in Coffee County was operated 
at West Green, Georgia, and was known as The Gar- 
rant Lumber Company. 

The lumber business in Coffee County was not a 
success. The cost production was high and the market 
most of the time was dull. It is estimated that less 
than ten per cent of the saw mills made a success. 
A large saw mill required something like fifty or a 
hundred mules, several miles of railroad iron for tram 
road purposes. Also two or three railroad engines 
were necessary to pull the trucks. In addition to this 
was the saw mill itself which required a large invest¬ 
ment. When the wheels of the great mill were not 
turning, the expense of the investment with the mules 
and railroad equipment, all the laborers and high 
class mechanics was still going on. And as a conse¬ 
quence the mills could not make any money at the 
prices they had to sell lumber for. 

I might say in passing that millions and millions 
in feet of the finest yellow pine lumber ever grown was 
wasted and scattered over the country and burned 
with fire. It was indeed a great destruction of the 
wealth of Coffee County. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 173 

At this writing, 11130, there are several small mills 
in Coffee County all cutting lumber of a very inferior 
grade, but it is the best to be had. New trees will 
grow in a few years large enough for lumber purposes, 
but the trees have no heart. They are sap and full of 
knots. We have lost the timber and will never see 
the like again. 

The following' saw mills were owned and operated 
at the times and places named: 

Mill at Westonia, Georgia, operated by Jesse Wes¬ 
ton in 1880. Capacity about 30,000 feet of lumber per 
day. 

Saw mill owned and operated by Gray and Gatchel 
at Lelington, Georgia, in 1880, capacity 60,000 feet 
per day. 

Mill owned and operated by B. B. Gray & Brother at 
Pine Bloom, Georgia, in 1881, capacity 40,000 feet per 
day. 

The following saw mills have been operated in 
Douglas, Georgia: 

The Ashley Price Lumber Company, capacity 50,000 
feet per day. 

The J. F. Darby Lumber Company, capacity 50,000 
feet per day. 

The Pat Darby Lumber Company, capacity 25,000 
feet per day. 

The Douglas Stave and Lumber Company, capacity 
25,000 feet per day. 

In addition to these saw mills there have been 
several small mills operated in many sections of the 
county since the year 1900. 


174 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


The Pine Tree 

By Eula Newbern Cottingham 

‘‘The groves were 
God’s first temples, 
and in the presence 
of the tree one finds 
peace, quietude and 
inspiration.” 

Of the eighty well- 
established species of 
pines, one-half are 
American. Who knows and remembers forty different 
kinds of pines? No one, at least no one needs to. But 
what we do need to know is how to appreciate the 
full value of the Georgia long-leaf pine, for this pine 
taken from its large family ranks as second in value. 

We must recognize our pine forest as the oldest, 
mightiest and sublimest thing living in Coffee County. 
The first comers to Coffee County found the lands 
densely forested. To make themselves houses, and to 
fit the land for agriculture, they had to cut down the 
forests. And, too, wood was needed for fuel, for 
furniture, for almost numberless things; and new uses 
constantly developed. In addition to all this, in every 
wooded region which has been settled, inestimable 
quantities of wood have been wasted—burned just to 
get it out of the way; such extravagance has been 
practiced until there is a sad lack of forest areas in 
many sections of our county. 

The original forest of our county, if standing, would 
be of more value today than all our present industries 
and improvements combined. 



The Pines 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 175 

This is a moderately accurate estimate of the value 
of one of Coffee’s original forests. This forest con¬ 
tained four hundred and ninety acres; on this lot 
there are forty thousand long-leaf pines that should 
yield annually for four years nine hundred barrels of 
gum, from which tar, pitch, turpentine, and rosin are 
extracted. With the present low prices of turpentine 
averaging forty-five cents a gallon, and rosin eight 
dollars a barrel, the value of these by-products is 
enormous. Yet this great natural product was sold 
for an insignificant sum, for when the Carolina op¬ 
erators began looking in this direction (about 1890) 
for timber, the owners didn’t realize its value. My 
father was among the first to sell; he didn’t fully 
realize what he had done until the negroes came in 
with their box-axes, and as he expressed it, began 
to slaughter his beautiful trees. He wept, and for 
many days scarcely ate anything, but there was noth¬ 
ing to do but become hardened to the situation. 

After the trees were boxed and drained of their 
gum, the great merchant saw mills began their op¬ 
erations. One of these were at McDonalds, one at 
Willacoochee, one at Hazlehurst, and later one of 
the largest in the county was placed at Broxton; and 
like great octopuses, they began reaching out their 
long tentacles in the form of tram roads, which grad¬ 
ually reached almost every timber tract in this county. 

In times past the waste involved in gum gathering 
was serious, but improved methods have greatly re¬ 
duced it and have put to good use many products 
which have formerly escaped in steam and smoke. In 


176 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


times past the waste in wood gathering was serious, 
but this too has been relieved, for it has been learned 
that every part of the pine is of value. 

When I began this little story of the pine, I meant 
to name every product and every use of this valuable 
tree, but I find the task too stupendous. Suffice it to 
say that there are hundreds of ways in which pine 
lumber is utilized. It is being sent through nearly 
every vein of commerce to all parts of the world. 
Stumps and branches left in the forests after the 
woodsmen have done their work are now turned into 
slabs, laths, shingles, and bundles of faggots which 
are sold for fuel; stumps are taken to plants from 
which oil and many other products are extracted; and 
a wonderful invention has made it possible to extract 
ethyl-alcohol, the highest grade known, from sawdust. 
Pine needles are made into beautiful baskets and 
table mats. Pine cones make a most attractive in¬ 
terior decoration for winter. 

I love to associate my child life with the huge pines 
that grew near my home. My childhood companion 
was a younger brother. Our playhouse was under the 
shadows of these pines; our playhouse carpet was the 
needles of straws which they gave us from their 
boughs. The shrubbery in our play-garden was green 
pine tops and sprigs of gallberry erected here and 
there. The fence around this attractive garden was 
made of pine cones. Never was the quiet of a cathedral 
like the solemn and sweet silence that filled all the 
wide spaces among those kindly trees; and in their 
towering tops the winter winds sing to me their wild 
harmonies on the wild winter nights. Nowadays it is 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 177 

the little cluster of pines outside my window in Ward 
Street Park that catches the winter winds and calls 
back to memory the music of those sweet and solemn 
nights—for the sounds of wind are solemn sounds, and 
the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts. 

We should have a love of patriotism for our pines. 
Seek to prevent the present generation from despoiling 
the future of that which is right. We do not wish 
to decree that no trees are to be cut, for the trees 
must be cut constantly to meet imperative needs. But 
there should be other forests growing up to take the 
place of those which are being cut down. There should 
be a campaign against forest fires, a frightfully de¬ 
structive agency. It is estimated that since the settle¬ 
ment of the United States, fire has destroyed more 
timber than man. We know this is true in Coffee 
County. Every spring our forests are robbed of 
beauty and inestimable value by fires. 

Not only has the pine a high commercial value, but 
it has its place in literature. It has been the theme 
of many beautiful verses. 

Among them all none are more expressive than 
these two stanzas from the poem “The Pines.” 

“On the flanks of storm-gorged ridges our black 
battalions massed; 

We surge in a host to the sullen coast, and we sing in 
the ocean blast; 

From empire of sea to empire of snow we grip our 
empire fast. 


178 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

Wind of the east, wind of the west, wandering to 
and fro, 

Chant your songs in our topmost boughs that the sons 
of men may know, 

The peerless pine was the first to come, and the pine 
will be the last to go.” 

The pine tree is the largest money asset that Coffee 
County has ever had. For many years our farmers 
have given lots of attention to cotton as a money crop. 
Peanuts, velvet beans, sweet potatoes, etc., have 
figured largely in the prosperity of Coffee County. But 
the pine trees have produced more wealth than all these 
products combined. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 179 


Stills and Mills 

When the pioneers came to Coffee County, they built 
their homes and all their houses out of pine logs. Their 
houses were covered with boards split from pine trees. 
They fenced their fields with rails split from pine 
trees. This condition of things remained till about 
1870, when the first saw mill made its adventure into 
Coffee County. At that time Coffee County had the 
appearance of a great pine park. We had pine hills 
and pine valleys and pines everywhere. 

The Brunswick and Albany Railroad traversed 
South Coffee County about 1870. The Macon and 
Brunswick traversed the northern part of Coffee 
County in 1869. Saw mills and turpentine stills sprang 
up rapidly all along these two railroads. In a few 
years nearly the whole of Coffee County was overrun 
with turpentine stills. The saw mills operated mainly 
along the railroads, but as the years went by tram 
roads were built throughout the county to haul logs 
to the saw mills and turpentine products to the rail¬ 
roads. 

There never has been such a destruction of property 
as was wrought by the saw mills and turpentine op¬ 
erators. The trees which were too small for the saw 
mills were worked by turpentine operators as high 
as they could scrape the trees. When the mills and 
the stills had done their work of destruction, then came 
the cross tie getters and cut every tree big enough 
to make a cross tie. And now turpentine operators 
are boxing the saplings and blowing up the stumps. 
This period of time covered fifty or sixty years. The 
pine tree has made a great fight to continue to grow 


180 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

in this country, and in spite of hogs and fire, saw 
mills, and turpentine stills, we still have the pine trees 
with us. And we are beginning to realize that the 
pine will come back if we will only let it alone and 
give it some protection. 

“Woodman, spare that tree, 

Touch not a single bough, 

In youth it sheltered me 
And I’ll protect it now.” 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 181 


Railsplitters 

Before Coffee County was settled, Abraham Lincoln 
was a great railsplitter. He was not the best rail- 
splitter, for in the Pioneer days of Coffee County we 
had many good railsplitters. We had no plank nor 
wire fence, and the only chance to clear land and 
make a field was to fence it in some way. The first 
fencing in Coffee County was done with pine poles. 
Two stakes were driven up in such a way as to make 
a cross near the top. The fence was built on these 
posts. A fence like that would keep out cows but 
would not keep out hogs. And so, as time advanced 
and it became necessary to enlarge their fields it was 
then that the “railsplitter” made his appearance. The 
only tools he needed was an ax and a maul, an iron 
wedge, half a dozen gluts and a good strong back. 
A good railsplitter could split a thousand rails in five 
days. He would generally begin his task on Monday 
morning and finish his thousand rails by Friday night. 
Soon after the Civil War, when the people raised a lot 
of cattle and sheep, it was necessary to have large 
pastures, and this required a lot of rails, and so there 
were a lot of men “professonal railsplitters” as they 
could get a contract for splitting rails. The rails were 
usually ten and a half feet long and the usual heighth 
of the rail fence was ten or twelve rails high. Many 
of the fences were staked and ridered, that is to say, 
a stake rail was set on either side of the fence jam 
and crossed near the top and a good, heavy rail was 
laid on top of these stakes. Many of the farmers took 
a great pride in the looks of a rail fence. The worm 


182 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 


rail, as they called it, was laid on the ground and then 
another rail was laid and then another one, and so on 
until the ground rail was laid as long as they wanted 
the fence to be. Then the fence was built up rail by 
rail, taking great care to make the corners just alike 
lined up by line and as straight as could be. 



ORDINARIES 
I. Elijah Paulk, 1881 - 1889 . 
t 2. Archibald McLean, 1856 - 1861 . 

3 . Elder John Vickers, 1893 - 1895 . 

4 . Thomas Young, 1877 - 1881 - 1897 - 1904 . 

5 . Warren P. Ward, 1904—now serving. 








Ward’s History of Coffee County 183 

When a rail fence was well built it made a good, 
strong fence, and would remain for many years. There 
are a few of these old fences now, 1930. They have 
gone the way of all the earth. Wire fencing now is 
used extensively, and when properly erected makes a 
good fence. 

I remember many of the old railsplitters in Coffee 
County soon after the war. Some white and some 
colored. Old Dock Ryals was a great railsplitter. 
John Smith was a good one. Several of the Lott 
negroes. Old Dick Bagley, and many others. They 
were in a class all to themselves. A man who had 
never learned how to split rails made a poor start 
when he first began. If he got a hundred rails a day 
he did well. Selecting the timber was one of the fine 
arts of railsplitting. The best rail was made as square 
as possible and made to contain as much heart as could 
be gotten out of the tree being used. 


184 AVard’s History of Coffee County 


A Wheat and Flour Mill 

Long before the Confederate War old man Jackson 
AVard operated a wheat and flour mill in Coffee 
County. The mill was situated on Otter Creek about 
ten miles north of Douglas. The mill was operated 
by water power. The flour was not very white but it 
was bolted and clean and made very good bread. In 
the olden days before the Civil AVar many of our peo¬ 
ple grew wheat from necessity, as flour was hard to 
get from the markets. Wheat has been grown in 
Coffee County since the war but it is said that the 
grain is soft and will not keep sound like it does in 
a northern climate. And so at this writing, 1930, no 
wheat of any consequence is grown in Coffee County. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 185 


A Carding Machine 

One of the most unusual business enterprises 
operated in Coffee County, in the olden days, was a 
'Carding machine owned and operated by Mr. Joseph 
Kirkland. The power for running the machinery was 
furnished by an immense body of water known as the 
'‘Round About/’ It was an immense pond covering 
seven or eight lots of land. 

At that day and time much of the cloth was woven 
in the country. Much of the cotton was picked by 
hand and also the carding and the spinning was done 
by hand. The cotton and wool was first carded into 
rolls and then put on a spinning wheel and spun into 
thread, and then the thread was woven into cloth. 
The carding was a big job and Mr. Kirkland operated 
a machine for carding wool and cotton. People from 
far and near had their carding and spinning done by 
his machinery. 

Soon after the war the mill was burned down and 
thus ended the mill and its work. H,owever, by this 
time thread could be bought from the stores and the 
mill ceased to be a necessity. 


186 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


Snakes in Coffee County 

We first met the snake in the “Garden of Eden.” 
He is sometimes called a serpent. He came into the 
world with a lie in his mouth and until this day his 
mouth is dangerous. It may not be out of order to 
make a list of the snakes of Coffee County as they 
are known by the natives. The most numerous and 
best known snakes are: the Black Snake, the Coach 
Whip, the Water Moccasin, the Highland Moccasin, the 
Spreading Adder, the Rattle Snake Pilot, the Gopher 
Snake, the Chicken Snake, the Garter Snake, the King 
Snake. There are several varieties of Black Snakes 
and Moccasins. The big Cotton Mouth Stump Tail 
Moccasin is said to be poison and the bite of which 
will sometimes kill. The Ground Rattler is also poi¬ 
sonous. Its bite will sometimes kill. The only poison¬ 
ous snakes that I know are those named, but there has 
never lived a human being but what is afraid of 
snakes and this has ever been the case since the old 
Devil turned himself into a snake. 

Can Rattlesnakes Charm Birds and Animals? 

It is thought by many natives of Coffee County that 
rattlesnakes have the power to charm or hypnotize 
birds and small animals such as they wish to eat. A 
great many incidents have been told me by responsible 
persons who have seen squirrels come down out of 
trees and go to the very mouth of the rattlesnake. 
Mr. Dan Lott, a well known citizen of Coffee County, 
a big farmer and a good business man, gives me a 
half dozen incidents or more where snakes have 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 187 

charmed birds and squirrels. But the most convincing 
case is where a cat in his yard was charmed by a 
rattlesnake. The cat was almost in striking distance 
of the snake when discovered and fully under the spell 
of the snake. Rattlesnakes have been so numerous in 
Coffee County and so many persons have been killed 
by them I thought it worth while to discuss this ques¬ 
tion of their power to charm animals and birds. 

Rattlesnakes 

The rattlesnake is the most deadly of all snakes. 
They are not so numerous as other snakes and have 
a quiet and peaceful disposition. They seldom get 
angry enough to fight unless they are imposed upon 
in some way. There are not so many rattlesnakes now 
as once. The coming in of turpentine stills and saw 
mills put a lot of workmen in the woods and they 
killed a lot of snakes. In an area of about half a 
mile square on the east side of the Seventeen-Mile 
Creek at the Reed Lake, sixteen rattlesnakes were 
killed in one season by turpentine hands. More than 
three hundred people have died in the United States 
within the last three years from snake bites. It appears 
that no sure cure has yet been discovered for the cure 
of the bite of the rattlesnake. 

Probably two or three people die every year from 
snake bites in Coffee County. I know of but one per¬ 
son bitten by a rattlesnake to survive; that was Mr. 
Jasper Hand. One of the first men within my informa¬ 
tion who was killed by a rattlesnake was a man 
named Ellis; he lived up near the section of West 
Green, Georgia, and died before the Confederate War. 
Mr. Ellis lived on a farm. A storm came up and blew 


188 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

his fence down at night and he got up out of his bed 
and went around the field and was bitten by a snake 
in the dark and died. Mr. Thomas Paulk was bitten 
and died soon after the war. He lived near Lax and 
was hunting; a deer came along and he shot the deer 
and the explosion angered the snake and Mr. Paulk 
was bitten and died. 

About 1870 a Mr. Guthrie was bitten at the home of 
John Lott, Sr. He lived three or four days but finally 
died. Another case was that of Mr. Vickers, son of 
Johnie Vickers, near Lax. He was bitten by a snake 
in the field. He lived only a few hours. Another very 
sad case was a little son of Mr. John Jowers. It 
seems that he was picking huckleberries in a swamp 
and fell off a log on the snake. He was bitten several 
times by the snake and died in a very short time. 

Alligators 

The word “alligator” is an old Spanish word (el 
lagarto) and means the lizard. During the war be¬ 
tween the states and for many years after, alligators 
were numerous in Coffee County. There was one 
alligator or more in every pond in Coffee County. 
Alligators prefer to live in ponds with mud and 
stagnant water rather than live in streams with living 
water. They have caves generally under the root of 
some tree and coming almost to the top of the earth 
some ten or twelve feet from the mouth of the cave. 
The alligator does not always sleep with his head 
under the water but his house (the cave) is so con¬ 
structed that he can keep his head above the water. 
Alligators do not grow very large in Coffee County. 
Six and seven feet long would be considered a large 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 189 


alligator. In the winter time alligators are dormant 
and do not travel nor eat. In the spring of the year 
when the weather gets warm they come out of their 
winter quarters and travel around for miles seeking 
for new quarters and perhaps for a new mate. When 
the alligator has selected his new residence he piles up 
a lot of leaves and brush about the root of some tree 
where the land is dry and lays eighteen or twenty eggs 
in the nest. Many of their nests are two or three feet 
high and three or four feet through. In due time the 
warm sunshine hatches the little gators and they start 
life in a mud hole. 

The alligator is not so vicious as you perhaps have 
heard he is. I have never known an alligator to catch 
a man in Coffee County. The worse crime that he ever 
commits is to kill a hog. 

As time went on there was a good market for 
alligator hides and that put a premium upon the head 
of every alligator. Thousands of them were killed 
for their hides. At this time, 1930, there are very few 
alligators in Coffee County. There are a few in the 
large streams and rivers. Alligators will fight for 
their young and so far as I have ever heard they are 
not dangerous except in defense of their young. 


190 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


Catching Fish 

When the war ended in 1865, the streams of Coffee 
County were full of fish. In the small streams we had 
cats, perch and pike in abundance. The larger streams 
had Jack (pickerel), trout (bass), cats and all the 
larger variety of perch. Fish multiply rapidly. The 
common fish in the streams of Coffee County grow to 
their normal size in about two years. 

In the olden days people caught all the fish they 
needed with hook and line. But as the population 
increased they could not satisfy their greed and 
wanted all the fish in sight. When the streams got 
low in the summer time the fish were poisoned with 
walnut leaves, devil shoe strings and lime. But this 
did not satisfy their greed and so they began to use 
dynamite and thousands of fish were destroyed and 
wasted and the streams rendered useless for fish for 
many years. It became necessary to pass drastic laws 
to protect fish and the streams where they raise. 

It is worthy of note that when the Creek Indians 
occupied this territory they did not destroy the fish 
and game but only used what they needed. All honor 
to the Red Men for taking care of this country for 
the White Man. It is a shame that the White Man 
has not taken as good care of the fish and game as 
the Indians did. 

The game law at this writing, 1930, permits fishing 
with hook and line and it is to be hoped that all 
those who have an interest in preserving our fish will 
line up witli the hook and line fishers and put the 
others out of business. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 191 


Some of the lakes on the Seventeen-Mile Creek be¬ 
ginning at the Isiali Lake and coming on south are as 
follows: Reed Lake at the bridge, the Ward Lake, the 
Black Lake, Turkey Lake, Flat Lake, Ford Lake, Garr 
Lake and the Belle Lake. 

These are well-known lakes on this stream and 
known to all the old-time fishermen. Some of these 
lakes have nicknames. There is one lake called the 
“Mugger Lake,” named for old man Billy Ward’s 
wife. Another lake is big John Ward’s smokehouse. 
He said he never failed to get a mess of fish at that 
place. 


192 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


Wild Turkeys 

During the Civil War fish and game of all kinds 
increased rapidly. This was due to the fact that 
nearly all the men were away from home, and there 
was but little hunting and fishing done. Then the 
guns were very poor and they could not be loaded 
rapidly and so the game had a chance to increase. 

Prom 1865 to about 1880 there was plenty of game 
in Coffee County. The woods were full of big fox 
squirrels and there were plenty of deer and a good 
many wild turkeys. Wild turkeys are very hard to 
shoot. They are wild and will leave a section of the 
country where they use when they find out that they 
are hunted. They are perhaps the wildest of all the 
game. They use around big swamps and most always 
roost over deep water. One of the favorite ways of 
shooting turkeys is to go in their locality where they 
use late in the evening and hear them fly up to roost. 
Hunters call this “roosting turkeys.” A turkey flying 
up to roost can be heard for half a mile and further 
if the wind is right. Having located the roost of the 
turkeys, the hunter goes near the roost next morning 
before daylight and as daylight comes he seeks to 
find the turkey and then creeps up close enough to 
get a shot. It often happens that the turkeys are 
roosting on some big Cyprus tree out in the water and 
then the hunter does not get his turkey. 

Another method used by hunters is to use a yelp. 
This is usually made by putting a stick through a 
wooden match box and scraping on a piece of slate; 
by opening and closing the hand the tone of the yelp 
can be changed to high and low like the yelp of the 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 193 


turkey. The hunter goes into the neighborhood where 
turkeys are supposed to use and about the coming of 
daylight he begins to yelp. The yelp is supposed to 
be the call of a turkey lien, to which call the gobbler 
answers with a “gobble, gobble.” Soon the gobbler 
will seek the hen. If he is very far away he will fly 
to the place where the hen is located, and if he is 
near he will slip up to the place through the swamp 
and trees. The hunter has to be on the alert to find 
the turkey before the turkey sees him for when the 
gobbler sees the hunter he says ‘‘put, put,” and gets 
away from there. 

Another mode of catching turkeys which was used 
before the war when turkeys were plentiful, was to 
build a rail pen some three or four feet high and dig 
a hole under it plenty big for a turkey to pass through 
and then scatter corn in the pen, also outside the pen 
near the hole through which the turkey is supposed to 
pass. When the turkey goes through the hole, getting 
the corn as he goes through, he finds himself in a 
pen, and strange to say he cannot find the way out. 
Ife looks up all the time for a way to escape and 
never looks down. We have known as many as seven 
turkeys to be caught in one pen. 

Before the war and during the war there were great 
flocks of turkeys on the Satilla River, the Ocmulgee 
River and the Seventeen-Mile Creek, and in fact there 
were plenty turkeys near all the large streams. An 
old hunter told me the other day that he has seen 
as many as twenty-five turkeys in one drove. 

It is said that the flavor of the wild turkey is much 
better than the tame turkey, but in my opinion it 
depends upon whom is eating the turkey. To my 


194 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

taste the wild turkey has a strong, wild taste, and 
there is much more dark meat in a wild turkey than 
there is in a tame turkey. 

Turkeys make their nests in the swamps and lay 
fifteen and twenty eggs. If the eggs are hatched 
under a hen or a tame turkey hen, the little turkeys 
will have a wild disposition and sometimes when they 
get scared around the farm they will rise and fly a 
mile and further. 

There are very few wild turkeys in Coffee County 
now, 1930. There are too many hunters and hunters’ 
dogs and high-powered guns. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 195 


Killing Deer 

Speaking of the new game law reminds me that 
Coffee County had some game and some good hunters 
in the long ago. Old man Elijah Youngblood killed 
999 deer in his time and longed to kill one more to 
make it a thousand. Big John Ward, “Uncle Jack’s 
John,” who is yet living, killed 891, “That he got, 
as he calls it, when telling the number killed.” 

In addition to these hunters, there are many others 
who have done some good little stunts in hunting. 
“Little Mark Lott,” “Aunt Minty’s Mark,” killed 
three deer at one shot. It happened on this wise. 
Mark was sent to the woods to hunt a beef; while 
beating around the bush he spied a door standing at 
the root of a tree in a pond near by. He fired, and 
when the smoke cleared away there was a kicking of 
legs. Mark went to see how many legs the deer had 
and, lo and behold, he had killed three deer instead 
of one. The other two were lying at the root of the 
tree concealed by some huckleberry bushes. 

Do not be surprised when you are told that this 
scribe killed two deer at one shot. He did it this way. 
Early one morning he went over to Otter Creek, a 
little stream near his home, seven miles east of 
Douglas, when he discovered several deer feeding on 
the hillside. He dropped to his knees and crawled 
up near to them and hid behind a tree. He prepared 
his gun to shoot and looked out from behid the tree. 
The deer had found him out and were all standing 
looking his way. One was looking straight at him. 
About thirty feet behind this one, was another one, 
looking at him. He fired and got them both. At 


196 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


breakfast lie had two fine deer hanging np before the 
smokehouse door. 

To further illustrate marksmanship, I will tell you 
how he killed another deer. He and Tommie Dent 
were out hunting and as the dog entered the little 
brushy head where Mr. M. Kight lives, out popped 
two deer, one about ten feet behind the other. He 
shot at the head one and killed the hindmost one. 

During the year 1876 deer was plentiful in Coffee 
County. There was a drove of 13 which used in a 
string of ponds out between the old Dunk Douglas 
place and the old Dan Lott place. When the woods in 
the Ocmulgee River section filled up with saw mills 
and turpentine stills the deer left and came to Coffee 
County wild woods. 

Along with many other friends of the long ago 
is passing the deer, turkey, fox, squirrel, doves and 
pine trees. 

I love the new civilization in Coffee County, her 
thrift and enterprise, but when I think of its good 
old times, “I get mighty lonesome.” 


Ward's History of Coffee County 197 

A Stormy Night on the Seventeen-Mile 


It was summer 
time on the Har¬ 
graves farm. The 
time was three 
o’clock in the after¬ 
noon, the hottest part 
of a hot /day in Wire- 
grass Georgia. “Old 
Lazy Lawrence” was 
dancing on the fences 
and in the fields. Not 
a breeze was blow¬ 
ing ; all vegetation 
was withered. Both 
man and beast were 
needing rain. It was 
hot, oh, so hot, and 
dry, so dry. The old 
dog was panting with his tongue out. He dug a hole 
in the dirt, hunting a cooler spot. The chickens flut¬ 
tered in the sand and everything seemed to join in 
the pant for fresh air. Everything was suffering from 
the awful heat. 

Later in the afternoon, Mr. Hargraves called to Hen, 
his right-hand man and once his trusted slave, and said, 
“This awful heat means thunder and rain. It may 
storm before midnight. Now is a good time to go to 
the creek and “roost” some turkeys and catch some 
fish. Get the bullet moulds and mould some bullets. 


Creek 



—Courtesy John L. Herring. 

And the owl he say, “I cook for my¬ 
self, who cooks for you all?” 



198 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


Grease “Old Long Tom,” fill the powder horn, put a 
new flint in the lock, polish the steel, and get a sack of 
corn to feed the hogs.” 

When they reached the creek Uncle Abe told Hen 
to get some wood and build a little fire at the lake and 
he would go around the bay and feed his hogs and 
“roost” the turkeys. Just at dark, Uncle Abe reached 
the lake and found Hen with a fire. Hen told him 
that he never heard so much fuss in all his life. The 
bull frogs, tree frogs, and “Katydids” and all sorts 
of crickets all seemed to be on dress parade and were 
singing and making all sorts of music. When I 
started to make my fire, Hen said, a Whippoorwill sung 
out, “stick-fire the-whiteoak.” I wondered what he 
meant. About that time, another one from over the 
lake says, “stick-fire, the red oak.” I said go away 
from you, “you bird of ill omen.” I thought he might 
be dat bird what Mr. John read us about, what sat on 
the “Busted Palace” and said “Nevermore, Never¬ 
more.” About good dark, the old ’gater down at the 
mill lake, he ups and bellers like something bad was 
about to happen down there. But them plegged owls 
nearly run me crazy. One at the upper end of the lake 
would say, “I cook for myself, who cooks for you-o-o-oo 
all?” Then one at the lower end of the lake would 
answer back, “Tom Shickle-shackle and the devil 
knows who-o-o-oo all.” 

“Hen, you go down the lake to the ‘cat hole’ and 
I will try my luck here by this gum stump.” Pretty 
soon Hen yelled out, “Run here, Mars Abe, I have 
got a big snake on my hook and can’t get him off. 
He look like the snake that bit Adam and Eve.” “That 
is not a snake,” said Mr. Hargraves; “that is an eel 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 199 

and lie is good to eat, go right on with your fishing.” 
Pretty soon Hen gave another yell and said, “run 
here, Mars Abe, quick, I got a whale on my hook.” 
“That is not a whale Hen, it is a large black fish.” 
“My Lord. I thought it was the whale that eat Jonah,” 
said Hen. 

“Mars Abe, I want to go home, I’m sick of this 
hunting and fishing. I am afraid we will get cotch in 
a storm. I been afraid something bad was going to 
happen to us down here for before we left home, the 
rooster crowed in the house—bad sign—and last night 
the screech owl sot on the gate post, something bad 
bound to happen.” “Hen, I do not believe in signs, 
go on with your fishing.” “Old Peter did not believe 
in signs either, until he heard dat rooster crow.” 

In the meantime, the thunder roared deeper, louder, 
and closer. Flash after flash of lightning lighted up 
the lake and the swamp around and about. The trees 
cast shadows on the water like strange animals, hob¬ 
goblins, witches, and everything to make a man afraid. 
Pretty soon Uncle Abe heard a splash in the water, a 
break of limbs and brushes, and then a voice from 
Hen, something like this: “My Goade, Mars Abe, look 
at this thing. How many legs has the devil got?” 
“Plenty of legs to get you.” “Mars Abe, look at dat 
thing, it sho must be the devil.” “No, Hen, this is 
not the devil, it is a large Snapping Turtle.” “Maybe 
so, but it sho looks like Snappen devil to me.” 

By this time the awful thunder clouds had covered 
the heavens above, shut out moon and stars and it was 
dark as Egypt, till flashes of lightning came and made 
everything seem more and more horrible. “Mars Abe, 
I am going home, I am. Cold streaks are running up 


200 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


and down my back. I don’t want any fish, I am going 
home.” 

Soon they were on their way home, and soon the 
rain began to pour. They hurried to an old fodder 
house at the old Kemp place and got into it just in 
time to save themselves from one of the most fear¬ 
ful thunder and rain storms that was ever seen in this 
country. The rain poured all night long. The earth 
seemed to quiver from the awful jars of the thunder. 
There was plenty of fodder in the old house. It was 
dry and made a good summer bed. They were sur¬ 
rounded with such things as would make them think 
of the end of the world, and the final judgment. Uncle 
Abe told Hen many of the secrets of his life; told him 
where he wanted to be buried and how he wanted to 
be put away. He gave him the plans for his funeral 
all in detail. 

At last Hen talked out, got quiet and went to sleep, 
but ever and anon he would say over and over again 
in his sleep: “Rooster crowed in the house, screech 
owl set out the gate.” 

They spent the night in the old fodder house, got 
home for breakfast next morning sans fish, sans 
turkeys and sans everything. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 201 


Camp Meetings 

Georgia is a camp 
meeting state and all 
the history of camp 
meetings has not 
been written. They 
come and go. Dooly 
County and Liberty 
County have camp 
meetings in opera¬ 
tion and there may 
be others as far as I 
know. Also Tatnall 
County. 

The Gaskin 
Springs camp meet¬ 
ing was started about 
1895. Gaskin Springs is situated about two miles east 
of Douglas on the east side of the Seventeen-Mile 
Creek. 

Mr. Joel Gaskin donated four acres of land to 
certain trustees named in the deed with the expressed 
provision that the said land was to be used as camp 
meeting purposes. The lands to revert to the donor 
when it ceased to be used for camp meeting purposes. 
This deed carried with it the right to use the water 
from Gaskin Springs for the camp meetings. A large 
pavillion was built near the spring. The pavillion 
would seat several hundred people. A bridge was 
built across the Seventeen-Mile Creek for pedestrians 
between Douglas and the Springs. Many families from 
Douglas, Broxton, and people from surrounding 



Rev. Green Taylor 
A distinguished camp meeting preacher 
before the war. 


202 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

counties built houses, where their families moved and 
kept open house during the camp meeting times for 
ten days once a year. The camp meeting was under 
the supervision of the Methodist Church. The pre¬ 
siding elder of the Douglas church had charge of the 
camp grounds and selected the preachers. However, 
ministers of all denominations were invited to preach. 
Several services would be held each day. The first 
service was held at sunrise. The second service was 
held at eleven o’clock. The third service was held 
at 3 P. M., the last service was held at 8 P. M. Much 
attention was given to the singing of many beautiful 
gospel songs. Many special services were held for 
children. Sundown prayer meetings were held in 
front of the various cottages. All the tenters would 
gather up and go around together. Service would be 
held in front of each cottage until all the cottages 
were visited. 

It was the purpose of the camp meeting management 
to have the best Gospel preachers in the country. 
When the weather was good people would come from 
other counties to attend the camp meetings. In old 
days the camp served a good purpose. The people 
and the churches were so sparsely settled that they 
had not much chance to attend church and the camp 
meeting was intended to furnish preaching to these 
scattered communities. But as the years went by the 
need for the camp meeting largely disappeared. It 
developed into a mere social gathering where people 
went to see their friends and have an outing for two 
or three days. Some of these old-time camp meeting 
preachers were very unique. M. C. Austin, for in¬ 
stance, on one occasion at Gaskin Springs was preach- 


Ward’s History or Coffee County 203 


ing on “Family Training” and the home life of the 
people. His remarks were directed mainly to that 
class of men who run around at night. He says you 
men know when Coffee County was the best sheep 
county in the state, that men had trouble with dogs 
killing their sheep. A sheep-killing dog is one of the 
most despised things in all the world and they are the 
hardest things to catch in killing the sheep. They 
know how to cover up their sins, but at last the 
preacher said, “The way to locate a sheep-killing dog 
was to look at his teeth; if there was wool in his 
teeth the evidence was satisfactory and the dog was 
killed.” The preacher having laid the foundation for 
his argument then raised his hand high above his head 
and declared, “It is quite certain that some of you 
men have wool in your teeth.” 

In course of the camp meeting services, many special 
meetings were held. Some for children, some for 
fathers and mothers, and some for old people. All 
the special meetings were very interesting. I must 
tell you about the meeting for old men held one 
Sunday afternoon at the Gaskin Camp Meeting 
Tabernacle. A large group of old men seated them¬ 
selves around the rostrum and many of them sat on the 
“Mourners Bench.” One old brother read a scripture 
and several old-time hymns were sung and then the 
meeting thrown open for talks. Many good talks were 
made, but I shall tell you only about one which im¬ 
pressed me more than all the others. A very old man 
who had lived a Godly life and who was ripe for the 
tomb made a talk like this, as near as I can remember: 
“My brethren, the years of my life are more than three 
score years and ten. I have known what it was to be 


204 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

young and now I know what it is to be old. Many 
people discount old age and make light remarks about 
old age, like this: ‘Old age is honorable,’ yes, he said, 
‘Old age is honorable,’ and it is more than that. It 
is God’s plan for some of us to grow old. When a 
man gets as old as I am it shows that he has been 
wonderfully blessed by God. There is just one way 
to keep from getting old and that way is to die while 
you are young. I prefer living to be old rather than 
dying young. The secret of being old and being happy 
is to be reconciled to God’s will about these things. 
God wants some of us to be old. He has a use for old 
men and women, if we will only realize that we are 
old and be reconciled to God’s will and find our places 
in the world as old men and women and then try and 
fill the place that God has planned for ourselves. The 
reason that so many old men are grouchy and dis¬ 
satisfied with life is because they are not willing for 
God’s will to be done about their lives. They want 
to stay young and God wants them old, but when an 
old man trys to play young he makes himself silly and 
the laughing stock of sensible people. I am willing 
to be as old as God wants me to be and I am trying 
to find my place as an old man and to do God’s will 
more perfectly in this world. I am not concerned 
about how much longer I live nor how soon I die, I 
am leaving all this in the hands of my Lord. He knows 
what is best and I am His.” 

“An old grouchy man once wrote some lines like 

' ‘ The world turns over and over, 

And the sun sinks into the sea; 

And whether I live or die, 

No one cares for me.’ 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 205 

“My brethren, these are not my sentiments and I do 
not think they are the sentiments of any Godly old 
people. I think the poem should be changed to some¬ 
thing like this: 

‘The world turns over and over, 

And the sun sinks into the sea; 

And whether I live or die, 

It all looks good to me.’ 

“With an unfailing faith in Jesus Christ and this 
philosophy of life every old person could be happy 
and content and count it all a joy to be able to live 
a long and useful life.” 


206 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


The Language of the Birds 

It is surprising how little we know about the birds 
who sing and play about us every day. They have 
a language all their own, and if you are familiar with 
the birds in Coffee County, you will know one when 
he speaks. The best known singer among all the birds, 
perhaps, is the Mocking Bird. He sings day and night 
sometimes, and there is no bird that can produce as 
many notes as the Mocking Bird. The Brown Thrush 
comes next. He sings beautifully, but does not sing 
very much. His place to sing is to perch himself upon 
the top most bough of some tree. The Robin is a good 
singer but they sing very seldom and we find many 
people who grew up on the farm who have never heard 
a Robin sing. The Robin is a very sweet singer but 
his songs are short and far between. Once upon a time 
just about sunrise a Robin, sitting on the highest limb 
of a dead pine tree in front of our home, sat there and 
sang for an hour. His notes were beautiful, but he 
sang in a sweet, subdued tone. 

Every boy knows the language of a Bob White. 
They seem to say, ‘‘Old Bob White, are your peas 
most ripe?” 

The field lark who sneaks around your fields in the 
early spring, pulls up your corn, will fly upon the 
fence or perch himself in some nearby tree and sing, 
“I have been here three years,” and he means to say 
that he will stay just as long as ever he pleases. 

Chickens also have a language of their own. The 
old hen will put on her best looks, walk up beside of 
her old man and say, “I have to do this and I have 
to do that, and I have to go barefooted.” The dear 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 207 


old man puts on a surprised look and answers with all 
the dignity that he commands, “If I can’t get a shoe 
to fit your foot, to fit your foot, how can I help it.” 

The Whip-poor-will says, “Stick fire to the white 
oak.” And so with all the birds. They sing and talk. 

Birds, Fishes and Fowls 

No history of any country would be complete with¬ 
out its birds, fishes, and fowls. In naming the birds, 
fishes and fowls in Coffee County, I shall name only 
those generally known by the people of Coffee County. 

Turtledove, Partridge, Lark, Bluebird, Tomtit, Bull 
Bat, Whip-poor-will, Buzzards, Eagle, Kingfisher, Cat¬ 
bird, Ricebirds, Jay Birds, Blackbirds, Sapsucker, 
many varieties of Sparrows, Humming Bird, Mock¬ 
ing Bird, Crow, Hawks—many varieties, Carrion Crow, 
Killdeer, Kingbird, Woodpecker, Redbird, Robin, 
Thrush, Swallows, Ducks, Snipe, Owls, Chick-a-dees, 
English Sparrows. 

Fish 

Fresh-water Trout, Mud Cat, War-mouth Perch, 
Red-eyed Perch and others, Red-belly Perch, Stump 
Knocker, Jack, Pike, Perch—several varieties, Mud 
Fish. 


Fowls 

Chickens, Cranes, Turkeys, Ducks and others, Geese, 
Guinea. 



208 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


Trees 

By Mrs. Lon Dickey 

To think of the trees of Coffee County, as I knew 
them from about 1885 to 1900, is to bring a vision 
of an almost unbroken forest of long leaf yellow pine, 
boxed and scraped for turpentining, in some instances 
left untouched in their beauty and natural state. Long, 
straight roads led through them, and their cool, breezy 
aisles were filled with the music of the swaying boughs 
and the songs of wild birds flitting among them. 

Besides the wealth in naval stores which it brought 
to the “Many Captains of Industry,” these trees have 
provided houses and storehouses for its populace, 
fences for their flocks, bridges over the ever flowing, 
turbulent streams, and innumerable other things. 

The Tree Family 

There were many other species of the pine besides 
the long leaf, among them the short leaf, the pitch 
pine, the loblolly or low-field pines, and a dear little 
short leaf Christmas tree pine in the swamps and 
lowlands that closely resembled the celebrated spruce 
pine of northern climates. 

Classed with these might also be the red cedar 
which might easily have been grown in commercial 
quantities, being the same that is used for making 
pencils, moth-proof chests, linen closets, and for 
ornamental posts and many purposes. There was also 
the white cedar, or arbor vitae, useful for many 
things, which was only for hedge and ornamental 
purposes. 


, Ward’s History of Coffee County 209 

The great bald cypress, with its creeping, angular 
knees, furnished a soft wood that has worked into 
shingles, barrel staves, fence posts, door panels, and 
construction of many types. 

The “bay” in front of our home was not a body of 
water, but a thicket of evergreen trees with their great 
gray trunks and their glossy leaves lined underneath 
with silver that glistened in the sun when the wind 
stirred them. They bore fragrant white blossoms in 
summer, and in early spring the rose bays blossomed 
profusely making a perfect mass of pink blooms 
around the borders of the swamp. 

The Sturdy Oak 

I shall carry to my grave visions of sandy hillsides 
covered with great scarlet oaks hung with gray 
Spanish moss. In the spring they showed innumerable 
shades of green, tan and brown in their budding leaves 
and silky catkins or tassels. These colors intermingled 
with the green of the holly and cedar and the starry 
gleam of white blossoming dogwood, the misty rose 
and lavender of wild crab apple and Judas tree bloom, 
and the crimson of budding maple, made a scene to 
rest tired eyes and lift one’s spirit. 

But autumn changed these great oaks into one 
flaming forest after a long summer of dark, glossy 
green coolness, then laid a thick carpet of brown for 
the short cool winter. This carpet was swept away 
by the blustery March winds. 

Then there were many species of useful trees in the 
oak family, tanbark, shingle oak, post oak, iron oak, 
pin oak, willow oak, and great barren oaks (the 
negroes called them “bar’n oaks,” and I thought for 


210 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

many years that barns were made of them). Many of 
these oaks bore acorns which fattened the hogs and 
fed the squirrels, deer, birds, and other wild life. 

The Basket Oak 

The sweetest in my memory are the basket oaks, or 
white oaks. Splits were peeled from these and woven 
into baskets for cotton, laundry, and some of fancier 
type were painted for parlor wood containers and to 
hold magazines. 

The little babies were often cradled in long baskets 
made of these, and often the little colored babies of 
former slaves were suspended in these from the droop¬ 
ing limbs of great water oaks to the edge of the fields, 
and as parents reached the ends of the rows they 
would set them swinging and croon their unforgettable 
songs to them as they hoed away, or resumed their 
cotton picking, corn gathering, or potato digging. 

Many of these great old water oaks still stand, their 
great trunks dotted with pale green lichens and draped 
about with soft grey-green Spanish moss, and with 
wild birds flitting among their decaying branches. I 
would think that one of them might be cut down to 
within a few feet of the ground and covered with 
mortar or cement and some fitting memorial be written 
on it for the faithful old slaves who rest unnoticed in 
the old neglected cemeteries nearby. 

Other Tree Families 

The woods of my plantation home were thick with 
giant hickories bearing various sizes of nuts, one 
shaped like a top, another round and large, others 
small and sweet. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 211 


The wood of these hickory trees was fashioned into 
axe handles and parts for many nsefnl farm imple¬ 
ments, made into mauls, chairs, and many other things. 

Great tree trunks of some kind, I think poplar, were 
fashioned into watering troughs for the stock, salting 
troughs for meat, feed troughs for the stables, and 
laundry troughs for the “wash house.” 

There was a shop with a bellows we loved to watch 
where various things were made, including tubs for 
sugar, lard, vats for syrup, there being negroes 
specially trained for this service, which passed out 
almost too early for me to remember, my most vivid 
recollection being of a casket made for a colored 
person. 

The Black Walnut 

We had many large black walnut trees, and though 
we used these only for their shade and the delicious 
black walnut meat for cakes, candies, and salted nuts, 
I see them being planted over vast acres now to be 
used for furniture, gun stocks, airplane propellers, 
and many important things. 

Other trees of value which were purely ornamental 
with us, or handed down as a natural heritage, were 
great magnolias with their massive, fragrant white 
blossoms and pods of red seeds; sycamore with gleam¬ 
ing white trunks; tupelos with yellow tulip-like blos¬ 
soms in spring and gold leaves in autumn; black gum, 
ash, holly, elm, beech, alder, cottonwood, hackberries, 
locust, maple, persimmon, false mulberry, poplar, 
swamp bay, willow, chinaberry, sourwood, thorntree, 
and evergreen or cherry laurel. 

The woods of many of these are being used for 
making tennis racquets, golf sticks, baseball bats, 


212 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


Pullman car interiors, automobile bodies, furniture, 
and many other things. 

Our Chewing Gums 

A grove of sweet gum trees furnished our gum supply. 
We scarred the great old trunks and with a knife or 
pointed instrument transferred the white syrup to 
our mouths, where it became a wad of gum. 

And, although we “snitched” it from each other 
and fought for its possession, our old colored mammy 
never interfered and I never knew a case of “hydro- 
phobie” or any other dreaded disease to be transmitted 
through the exchange. 

These sweet gum trees were particularly beautiful 
in autumn, being a deep blood-red, and I learn that 
its wood is now used for “satin walnut” in veneering 
furniture, and for paving blocks, and many other 
things. 

The Medicine Trees 

A visitor on these grounds not long since told me 
that he counted thirty-six different varieties of trees 
in one acre and a quarter, so it is impossible to name 
them all, but I must touch on the “medicine trees.” 

The cherry trees yielded their bark for many medic¬ 
inal uses; the root of the sassafras was much sought 
after in the spring, its delicious tea being one of my 
sweetest springtime memories, and creamy flowers in 
early spring were only surpassed in beauty by its 
leaves in autumn, being a mixture of gold, crimson 
and bronze set off with clusters of bright red berries. 

The famous “black drink” handed down from the 
Indians was made from the yaupon tree, or cassena 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 213 

berry, called now swamp holly. This is much used 
for decorative purposes at Christmas times, its wealth 
of bright red berries making it particularly appro¬ 
priate. Thus is “Liex vomitoria,” and the drink is 
an emetic. 

A great many of these great old trees bore great 
bunches of mistletoe, which was also popular in 
decoration. 

Many pecans have been planted in place of the trees 
which stood in this old grove, and their flavor is said 
to be a superior one owing, it is thought, to their 
proximity to the great hickories and walnuts; in fact, 
the pecan limbs have been grafted into the trunks of 
the hickories in many instances. 

Of the future of these I take the liberty of quoting 
Honorable Chase S. Osborn, former Governor of 
Michigan, whose winter home is at Poulan, about fifty 
miles away. it 

Value of Pecan Trees 

Says Governor Osborn in this treasured sketch, 
“Why I Think Georgia is Perfect,” published in a 
state paper: 

“The value of the pecan as a nut-producing tree is 
appreciated, but its arboreal value is as yet little 
valued. Some day pecan trees will be planted here 
for their timber. A member of the hicoria family, the 
wood of the pecan is as hard as you can wish. Later 
we will utilize pecan tree timber. Then, there is an¬ 
other value attached to pecan trees. Do you wonder 
why South Georgia is so healthful, why your towns 
have so remarkably low a death rate? May it not be 
due to the fact that pecan trees, which abound here 


214 Ward’s History or Coffee County 

in millions consume carbon dioxide in unusually great 
quantities, giving forth again purest oxygen? Does 
that sound like a wild theory? Maybe, but I do not 
doubt that there is truth to it.” 

Other Values in Trees 

Then there is the value of the last leaf crop to the 
building up of the soil. I recall an instance of some 
forty years ago at my plantation home. A visitor from 
the southwest remarked to my father that he did not 
realize the wealth that lay in the century of leaf-mold 



SHERIFFS 

1. W. M. Tanner, 1916-1928. 

2. R. C. Relihan, 1928—now serving. 

3. William Tanner, 1889-1893-1895-1901. 

4. W. W. Southerland, 1901-1906. 










Ward’s History of Coffee County 215 


packed away under the trees in the Ocmulgee River 
swamp, using them as fertilizer as florists and or- 
chardists of other localities did. 

Acting on the suggestion, my father sent wagons into 
the swamp and brought out several loads of this leaf- 
mold and had it worked into the vegetable garden. 
Then the fun began. 

A certain wag on the place declared that the 
watermelon vines tore off all its young melons running 
around so fast and that the Irish potatoes played hop¬ 
scotch with each other after crowding themselves out 
of the ground. In truth, I never saw such vegetables 
and things as that ground produced, and fruit trees 
around where some of it was spread grew amazingly 
ahead of others. 

It was my father’s plan to follow the use of this 
extensively, but alas, after a rigorous winter in At¬ 
lanta, where he represented the 5th district as Senator, 
1890-91, fell ill and was unable to carry out his plan. 

A Bee Tree 

My mind goes back to a spring morning when we 
enjoyed a bee tree cutting on our place. It was dis¬ 
covered by Mr. Duncan McLean who thereby shared 
its wealth of golden honey with our family, and 
there were a number of invited guests outside. 

This was a great hollow pine tree which the bees 
had filled with honey known as the gall berry blossoms 
type. This gall berry bush is a species of the holly 
family, known as black, and its blossom yields a su¬ 
perior quality of honey, along with the bloom of the 
tyty bushes. 


216 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


The pine was great and tall, and it required a lot 
of cutting before it gave up the ghost and crashed 
through the blossoming wild shrubbery, carrying many 
other small trees along with it. But the delightful 
flavor of the honey was worth all of them. 

Down to Darien 

When my father needed money, he took a group of 
colored farm hands into the river swamp for a number 
of successive days, then began preparation for drifting 
the great rafts of yellow pine logs to Darien to be 
turned into money. The negroes called it “Dairy 
Ann,” and it was one of the burning desires of my 
young life to see that queer port of which they talked 
after their semi-annual excursion there with these 
rafts. 

We sat on the river bank and watched them raft 
the great logs, while back in the great old kitchen 
were smells that I know I shall never enjoy again, 
home-made light bread, potato pone, parching green 
coffee, barbecuing pork and other meats, baking ginger 
bread and other things to eat on the journey. 

Occasionally a steamboat passed by, fanning the 
drooping branches of the pale green sand bar willows, 
and stopping the work of pinning together the great 
logs as they rode up and down with the disturbed 
mud-yellow waters. 

The Flowering Trees 

After they had waved us good-bye and the last raft 
had disappeared around the bend, we went back to 
the house along a road lined with beautiful flowering 


Ward's History of Coffee County 217 


locusts, wild plum trees, silky white tassels of the 
fringe tree, better known as “grandfather's beard,” 
and festoons of vines covered with red trumpet blos¬ 
soms. 

In the old sand yard were great lagerstroemia trees, 
now called crape myrtle, with their light brown 
shining trunks and great panicles of crinkled and ruf¬ 
fled pink bloom, the accacies, the cape jasmine or 
gardenia with its fragrant waxen white bloom, the 
English hawthorn with its wealth of snowy white 
blossoms in spring and red haws in autumn, the mock 
orange or syringa, and many others dear to the heart 
of Coffee County home makers. 

Know the Trees 

Julia Ellen Rogers, who has compiled a wonderful 
tree guide, the study of which has helped me to de¬ 
scribe many of the trees in this little sketch, prefaces 
one of her books with this: 

“It is natural that trees, which are greatest in all 
the plant kingdom, should inspire in us the highest 
admiration. Their terms of life so far outrun the 
puny human span! They stand so high, and spread 
so high, and spread so far their sheltering arms! We 
bless them for the gifts they bring to supply our bodily 
needs, and for their beauty, which feeds our souls. 

“To love trees intelligently we must learn to know 
them. We must be able to call them name by name, 
whenever and wherever we meet them. This is funda¬ 
mental to any friendship. It is a fund of knowledge 
that starts with little, but grows more rapidly year by 
year." 


218 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


Fast Becoming a Myth 

There are many beautiful flowering trees and shrubs 
in Coflee County not named in this little sketch, and 
there are many that are of inestimable value to the 
industrial world which, if planted and cared for would 
bring wealth to land owners and prosperity to the 
county. 

There are vast areas in this large county from which 
the trees have been taken, and if steps are not taken 
to protect the wild life, especially the wild birds that 
save them from extermination by destroying the in¬ 
sects and worms that infest them, many of these trees 
are in danger of becoming only a memory or a myth. 

The wild birds scatter the seeds and have planted, 
no doubt, many of these beautiful forests as well as 
the wild flowers from which come the fine honey for 
which the county is noted. Do they not deserve our 
protection and our consideration? They are our 
natural heritage, ours to study, love, and protect, and 
to perpetuate. Birds and trees, “Useless each without 
the other.” 



Ward’s History of Coffee County 219 


A Member of the Confederate Cabinet 

It is not generally known that at the same time Jeffer¬ 
son Davis was captured in Irwin County, May 10th, 
1865, that John C. Breckinridge, a member of his cab¬ 
inet spent a week at the home of Honorable Seaborn 
Hall near Graham, Georgia. When the Confederate 
Government went to pieces, a last cabinet meeting was 
held at Washington, Georgia. It was supposed that 
the Federal Government would make a desperate ef¬ 
fort to capture President Davis and all his cabinet. 
And the cabinet was just as determined not to be 
captured. And so the members of the cabinet sep¬ 
arated and each one looked out for himself. President 
Davis came by Dublin, Georgia, and on down to 
Irwinville where he was captured. General Breckin¬ 
ridge, leaving Washington, Georgia, came south and 
crossed the Altamaha River at Town Bluff and made 
his way to the home of Honorable Seaborn Hall in 
Appling County. Mr. Hall was well known all over 
South Georgia and had a wide reputation for hos¬ 
pitality. 

It was thought by many that President Davis was 
going to Alabama to join the Confederate forces there, 
but if so, he never reached his destination. When the 
news of the capture of Mr. Davis reached Mr. Hall and 
Mr. Breckinridge, Mr. Breckinridge decided that he 
would leave the United States. So Mr. Hall, after en¬ 
tertaining him in great fashion for a week or more, 
took his distinguished guest in a buggy and went to 
Florida where he boarded a steamer and made good 
his escape. The entire trip was made by riding at 
night and hiding out at day. When the parting time 


220 AVard’s History of Coffee County 


came General Breckinridge was so overwhelmed with 
gratitude to Mr. Hall that he presented him his 
handsome gold watch as a token of his friendship and 
esteem. He also gave him a gold-trimmed saddle. 
Judge Elisha Graham of Baxley and McRae, Georgia, 
fell heir to the watch and wore it as long as he lived. 
It is supposed that Mr. Hall and General Breckinridge 
passed through Coffee County down through Ware 
County at old Waresboro and on to Florida. 

It is also said that General Beauregard passed 
through this state on his way west. And it is also 
said that General Bragg passed through Coffee County 
about the same time that Jefferson Davis was cap¬ 
tured, and gave some man at the court house in 
Douglas a five-dollar gold piece. And so it is that 
some of the great and some of the mighty passed 
through Coffee County in the most tragic history of 
the state. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 221 


The Negro Race 

The negro race in Coffee County gave us but little 
trouble during slavery time, and they have made very 
good citizens since they got their freedom. Many 
of the slaves remained with their masters after they 
were freed. The Lott negroes, the Paulk negroes, the 
Ward negroes, the Vickers negroes, the Hargraves 
negroes, the Ashleys negroes and many other families 
of old negroes hung around the homes for their old 
masters and kept them as long as they lived. In 1860 
the population of Coffee County was: whites 2206, 
colored 673. In 1870, ten years later, which covered 
the Civil War period, the whites 2614, the colored 678. 

We would judge from this that Coffee County had 
less than a thousand slaves in it. The appraisement 
of the estate of Nathaniel Ashley shows that he owned 
97 slaves, which were valued at $42,550. A list of 
their names and ages appears in Minute Book A in 
the office of the Ordinary of Coffee County. Several 
of these old negroes are living yet. The date of this 
appraisement was January 4, 1856. At that time old 
Ambrose Harris was sixteen years and Wade Harris 
was thirteen years of age. Wade Harris is still living, 
1930. 

Too much credit cannot be given to these old-time 
slave negroes who remained at home during the Civil 
War and helped to carry on the work of the country. 
There are very few instances where they were not 
true and faithful to their masters. The training the 
negroes received while they were slaves has been a 
great blessing to them since they were free. They 
learned how to work. Many of them were good car- 


222 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

penters, good blacksmiths and good farmers. For 
many years after the war they did the hard work of 
the country. They split rails and made fences, built 
log houses, worked on railroads and did other things. 
And there is one strange thing that I wish to speak 
about in connection with the negroes of Coffee County. 
They had a tact for the saw mill business. Many large 
saw mills in Coffee County had negro sawyers. I can¬ 
not think of any reason why a negro, with his thick 
skull, would make a better sawyer than a white man 
who is supposed to have better sense than a negro. 
Another thing I wish to say about the negroes of 
Coffee County, they never foment strikes and lockouts. 
They are mostly lawabiding citizens and respectful to 
the white race. 

They have the gift of song and sing as they work. 
They are enthusiastic in their disposition, but their 
enthusiasm shows itself more in religion than riots and 
other unlawful conduct. Another characteristic of the 
negro is their disposition to be helpful and useful. If 
the house gets on fire or a horse runs away with a 
wagon, or if a car breaks down, or in case of an acci¬ 
dent of any sort, a negro is the first one there is to 
help. 

The old-time people, black and white, in Coffee 
County are living in peaceful relations and will con¬ 
tinue thus to live so long as other people will keep 
their noses out of our business. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 223 


Grady’s Tribute to the Negro Slaves 

It has been noted repeatedly that history records 
no more remarkable illustration of loyalty to trust 
than that manifested by the negroes of the South 
during the Civil War. Often left behind as the sole 
support and protection of the families of the Con¬ 
federate soldiers, not an instance is recorded in which 
one violated his trust. Of this remarkable record, 
Georgia’s matchless orator, Henry W. Grady, said in 
his last great speech: 

“ History has no parallel to the faith kept by the 
negro in the South during the war, often five hundred 
negroes to a single white man, and yet through these 
dusky throngs the women and children walked in 
safety and the unprotected homes rested in peace. 

“Unmarshaled, the black batallions moved patiently 
to the fields in the morning to feed the armies their 
idleness would have starved, and at night gathered 
anxiously at the big house to ‘hear the news from 
Master,’ though conscious that his victory made their 
chains enduring. Everywhere humble and kindly; 
body-guard of the helpless; the rough companion of 
the little ones; the observant friend; the silent sentry 
in his lowly cabin; the shrewd counselor; and when 
the dead came home, a mourner at the open grave. 

“A thousand torches would have disbanded every 
Southern Army, but not one was lighted. When the 
master going to a war in which slavery was involved 
said to his slave, ‘I leave my home and beloved ones 
in your charge,’ the tenderness between man and 
master stood disclosed. And when the slave held that 
charge sacred through storm and temptation, he gave 


224 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


new meaning to faith and loyalty. I rejoice that when 
freedom came to him after years of waiting, it was 
all the sweeter because the black hands from which 
the shackles fell were stainless of a single crime 
against the helpless ones confided to his care.” 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 225 


A Negro Funeral 

“Good morning, Uncle Ben, how Uncle Ike doing 
this morning?” 

“Well, he isn’t so well; he didn’t sleep so well last 
night, and den the sign is all against him. I heard 
my rooster crow before twelve o’clock last night and 
that is shore a bad sign. I was sitting up with Brother 
Ike when the rooster crew and I notis that he got 
worse off right away. Seem like his mind was dis¬ 
turbed about something. Can’t you come over and 
sit up with us tonight?” 

Uncle Ben was on hand the next night ready to 
sit up with the sick, and ready to see him die, for 
every negro likes to see a sad death. Not only was 
Uncle Ben there jto sit up with the sick but there was 
a dozen or more of sympathetic friends gathered in 
the hut. A little fire burned in the hearth and a 
small candle burned on a dry goods box near the 
bed. Everything about the sick man was noted, and 
when he asked for a drink of water Sister Sealey Jones 
said, “I am afraid Brother Ike fever is rising, you 
see he is wanting water, and that is always a bad 
sign when you have a disease like that.” And so with 
everything to discourage and nothing to encourage, 
Brother Ike turned over and bid this world a long 
farewell. The news went out that Uncle Ike was dead. 
His kinfolk, his pastor, and many of his friends called 
to see how poor old Ike looked when he was dead. By 
the rising of the sun the preacher, the clerk of the 
church, and the undertaker were all sitting around his 
bed. The clerk of the church was asked to write down 
the last words of the deceased. All the brothers and 


226 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

sisters were asked to tell something about Uncle Ike. 
All this was written down for the benefit of the 
preacher who was the pastor of the sermon. All next 
day the crowds came and went. The little candle was 
kept burning all day. Each friend or relative who 
came and looked on the sad face of Uncle Ike would 
make some kind of remark. One friend said, “Well 
don’t he look the natural.” Another one would say, 
“And ain’t it such a quiet corpse too.” While an¬ 
other one would say, “Well, what do you suppose he 
is thinking about right now.” 

The watchers came by detachments. The societies 
came in one group. The members of the church came 
in another group, and so on. When the plans of the 
funeral had been fully arranged the body was taken 
over to the church and laid in state during the night. 
The congregation sang funeral hymns and chanted 
Dirges with the saddest wails. Many prayers were 
uttered. Speeches were made. Groans weird and 
spooky filled the church and attracted attention round 
about. With the rising of the sun the congregation all 
stood up and sang “Sweet Chariot” and other songs, 
for they said, “Perchance the Holy angels will come 
at sunrise and take him to his home in his skies.” 

Eleven o’clock was the time set for the sermon. 
Brother Jim Crow, the pastor, made a few scattering 
remarks about the long and useful life of Brother 
Ike. He then read to the congregation the informa¬ 
tion written down by the clerk of the church. He then 
proceeded with his sermon something like this: Last 
night while I was sleeping I had a vision like Isiah the 
Prophet, the heavens were open and I saw the angels, 
the Ark Angels, the Cherbum and the Seraphin and 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 227 


all the other phims. I seemed to see Gabriel stand 
up and he say to one dem der phims, “Dis day heaven 
must be enriched. The glory of the Glory World must 
shine out in bright colors today. I seemed to see 
sadness on the face of the angels in heaven and it 
seems to have been because one child who belonged in 
heaven was not there. And Gabriel say to the angels, 
‘Fly down and fly over this world and see if you find 
any one who is worthy to open the Pearly Gates and 
come in to live with God’s Glorified.’ And as the 
Angel flew I saw him circle around, over Douglas like 
an aeroplane fixing to land, and after while in my 
vision I saw him light. He went straight to the home 
of Brother Ike. He laid his hand on Brother Ike’s foot 
and his foot went to sleep, and den he laid his hand 
on Brother Ike’s lips and Brother Ike could talk no 
more. Hie put his hand on Brother Ike’s eyes and 
Brother Ike went to sleep, and then he put his hand 
on Brother Ike’s heart and it beat no more for Bro¬ 
ther Ike was dead, and then there was shouting and 
singing in heaven. The little angels flew around the 
big angels and there was joy in heaven. The ever¬ 
lasting gates were opened and Uncle Ike went in as 
Hallulahs were ringing throughout the regions of 
heaven. Uncle Ike went in and took a seat with Abra¬ 
ham and Isiah and Jacob and Bob Douglas and Abe 
Lincoln.” 

The funeral being over, the congregation was asked 
to pass around and look on Brother Ike for the last 
time in this world, and also drop a nickel in the hat 
to help pay the funeral expenses. 


228 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


Meningitis Epidemic 

In February, 1870, Meningitis was epidemic in Coffee 
County. Old man Dan Newbern and his wife and 
four children died in six days. Old man John Lott 
lost two sons and a son-in-law, Mr. Moore. Old man 
Alfred Peterson lost some members of his family. Old 
man Jack Vickers, the preacher, lost some of his 
children. There were several persons who had it and 
lived. But most of them were dumb, deaf and blind. 

There has never, been as much excitement over any 
disease before or since as was over this epidemic. 
When the news went abroad that old man Dan New¬ 
bern and his wife and four sons had died within six 
days the people were dumbfounded and began to use 
all sorts of remedies. They made smokes around their 
premises out of pine tops, tar, pitch and other things. 
Turpentine and asafoetida was used in profusion on the 
persons and about the premises, where the diseases 
were located. It was thought to be very contagious. 
One case is noted that of Mr. Johnie Moore, who 
passed through the lane of old man Dan Newbern and 
he took the disease and died before he got home. 

It is not known for certain how the disease got to 
Coffee County, but it is thought by some that the dis¬ 
ease was brought here by strangers who were working 
on the new railroad between Hazlehurst and the river 
bridge. It is said that several negroes died there with 
the disease. 

The county was in a most horrible situation and 
everybody was afraid of everybody else. But there 
is one instance that I wish to mention of a certain man, 
now deceased, who was a hero in that awful time of 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 


229 


trial. When the disease broke out at old man Dan 
Newberns and he and his Avife died, the family Avas like 
a bunch of sheep Avithout a shepherd, they did not 
knoAV Avhich way to turn, no doctors nor any nurses 
nor any one who knew anything about the disease. 
It was at this critical time that old man Dan Gaskin, 
then a young man, and a relative to the Newberns, Avent 
to the NeAvbern home and took charge of things. At 
least one member of the family died in one day and once 
tAvo members of the family died in one day. The sick 
had to be looked after and the dead had to be buried. 
Brothers and sisters had to bury their oAvn brothers 
and sisters. Children had to bury father and mother. 
And so it went on for a Aveek Avhen six members of the 
family filled neAV made graves. No one will ever know 
the horrible situation endured by this family through 
the long Avinter nights. Scarcely any light in the 
house, with now and then one to be heard in the 
struggle of death. 

It is said that a patient Avould be taken with a 
very high fever. His head would be drawn back and 
soon the patient would become unconscious and die 
Avithin a very few hours. 

At the cemetery at old Lone Hill Church, ten miles 
northeast of Douglas there stands six tombstones all in 
a row. They mark the last resting place of Mr. New- 
bern and his wife and four boys. 


230 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


The Big Four 


Heading from left 
to right; the two men 
standing, the first is 
Daniel Gaskin, the 
second man is R. S. 
Smith. Seated, read¬ 
ing from left to right, 
first man is Dan 
Newbern, Elias Lott. 

Daniel Gaskin, 
Dan Newbern, R. S. 
Smith, and Elias Lott 
were known as the 
“Big Four.” These 
men were about the same age and were all related. 
The mother of Elias Lott and the father of Daniel 
Gaskin were brother and sister. R. S. Smith mar¬ 
ried a sister of Daniel Gaskin. 

Neither of these men was old enough to go into the 
Confederate Army. They were young men at the close 
of the Avar. They were all at home during the war and 
were worth a great deal to the AvidoAvs and children of 
the communities Avhere they lived. 

Daniel Gaskins married Miss Aleph Hinson. They 
have tAvo children; Bell, and Fisher. Mr. Gaskins was 
a good farmer and stock raiser. He was a large sheep 
OAvner and had plenty of hogs and coavs. He was a 
hard working man and one of the best neighbors I 
ever kneAV. He was tax receiver in 1871 and tax collec¬ 
tor in 1875 and County Commissioner in 1911. 



The Big Four 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 231 

Mr. R. S. Smith married Mary Gaskins, and had the 
following children: Monroe Smith, Sampie Smith, and 
Dr. John Smith. The girls are Mrs. John Peterson, 
Mrs. Levi O’steen. Mr. Smith was a very successful 
farmer. He was a hard worker and a fine man in 
every way. He was a member of the Methodist church 
and was a devout Christian. He belonged to that old 
school of Methodists and had family prayer at his home 
every night. He was superintendent of the Lone Hill 
Sunday School for twenty years or more. 

Daniel Newbern married Miss “Pet” Fussell. They 
have several children: William Newbern, Daniel New¬ 
bern, Jr., and Jesse Newbern. The girls are: Mrs. Mica- 
jah Vickers, and Mrs. W. T. Cottingham. Mr. Newbern 
was a good farmer and a fine man in every way. He was 
one of the few men who spent half his time attending 
his own business and the other half of his time he spent 
letting other people’s business alone. He was tax re¬ 
ceiver in 1878. 

Mr. Elias Lott, the last man in the group, married 
Tempie Douglas. They have the following children: 
James Lott, Dan Lott. Girls: Mrs. E. R. Cross, Mrs. 
James Jardine and Mrs. Johnson. Mr. Lott is a wealthy 
land owner. He was a good farmer and stock man. 
He has always been a prosperous business man. He is 
a good hand to keep all his “Ducks in a row” and has 
many kinds of interest in Coffee County. He is now 
living and is more than 75 years old and is the only 
one of the “Big Four” now living. He was a member 
of the Georgia Legislature in 1911-12. 

These men in early life, with their families, lived 
in the same locality and were always the best of 
friends. They assisted each other in every possible 


232 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

way. They always had plenty of this world’s goods 
and some to spare. They teased and joked and had 
bushels of fun among themselves. When one passed 
through “The valley of the shadow of death” they all 
came to his rescue with money and sympathy and every 
needed help. They were an example of true friend¬ 
ship and relationship. 

We shall never see their like again in Coffee County. 

Friendship between men is said to be deeper and 
more lasting than friendship between women. Jona¬ 
than and David, characters from the old Testament, 
are given as examples of true friendship for man for 
man. An instance of Modern Times is the friendship 
between Damon and Pythias. 

The friendship between the Big Four was a friend¬ 
ship like unto the friendship of those named above. 


Ward's History of Coffee County 233 


The Banking Business 

The Union Bank¬ 
ing Company of 
Douglas, Ga., is the 
oldest bank in the 
county. It was found¬ 
ed in 1898 and has 
continued to grow 
and expand up to 
this date, 1930. The 
Union Banking Com¬ 
pany has branches in 
Broxton and Nicholls 
with plenty capital 
to do a real banking 
business. Two other 
banks were organ¬ 
ized in Douglas but did not succeed. At one time in 
Coffee County there was a bank at Pearson, Ga., 
Willacoochee, Ga., and Ambrose, Ga. The bank at 
Ambrose has gone out of business. Willacoochee and 
Pearson have prosperous banks but they are now in 
Atkinson County, having been cut off from Coffee 
County with the creation of Atkinson County. 

It is said the great success of the Union Banking 
Company is due to the men back of the Institution. 
The officers of the bank, the Cashiers and the Directors 
are men of character and good business qualifications. 

Fraternal Orders 

The first Masonic Lodge in Coffee County was estab¬ 
lished long years ago at Pearson, Ga. Several of its 



J. M. Ashley 

The Man Who Built the Union 
Banking Co. 



234 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

charter members lived near Hazlehurst and were faith¬ 
ful and regular attendants. The Lodge is still in a flour¬ 
ishing and prosperous condition. Lodge No. 163 is 
named Satilla, F. & A. M. 

Broxton Lodge is No. 147 F. & A. M. Then the fol¬ 
lowing Masonic Lodges: Douglas No. 386 F. & A. 
M.; Lax No. 556 F. & A. M.; Ambrose No. 658 F. & 
A. M.; Wilcox (at Douglas) No. 668. Only one Royal 
Arch Chapter in the county, which is Douglas Chapter 
No. 49 F. & A. M. at Douglas. 

The Blue Lodges of the County are affiliated with the 
Eleventh District Masonic Convention which meets an¬ 
nually. The Royal Arch Chapter is also affiliated with 
the district convention, which meets annually. 

We also have a tri-county Masonic Convention which 
meets quarterly, alternately with the different Lodges 
of the counties with which we are affiliated. 

Satilla Lodge, No. 163, F. & A. M. was first estab¬ 
lished at a point on Satilla River, ten miles north of 
Pearson and six miles south of Douglas and, at the 
time, the only fraternal order in Coffee County. But 
soon afterwards members retired to organize lodges 
more convenient to them elsewhere. The date of its 
organization was prior to the Civil War. William 
Ashley was the first Worshipful Master. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 235 


Ladies’ Clubs 

Christian work has ever been the forerunner of 
civic and social organizations among women, and it is 
fitting that this should be in the history of Coffee 
County. 

The Ladies Aid Societies of the town were strong 
organizations of the early church life here, leading 
ultimately to the broader work of Missionary Societies 
that have furnished inspiration, information and a 
social contact among the church women. 

Mrs. Sadie Powell, Mrs. R. T. Relihan and Mrs. S. 
M. Roberts of sainted memory, Mrs. F. M. Appleby, 
Miss Dollie Freeman, Mrs. Hoke Davis, Mrs. E. L. 
Tanner, Mrs. Turner Brewer were among the faithful 
women of the Baptist denomination who steered the 
organization through the transition period to a larger 
work. Mrs. L. A. Hill, Mrs. C. N. Fielding, Mrs. J. A. 
Daughtrey, Mrs. A. W. Haddock, Mrs. J. S. Lott, Mrs. 
L. E. Heath, Mrs. C. A. Ward and Mrs. W. P. Ward, 
Sr., of sainted memory, were among the loyal workers 
of the Methodist Missionary Society in its early days. 
Mrs. J. W. Quincey and Mrs. M. D. Dickerson have 
through loyalty and sacrifice built up a strong Epis¬ 
copal auxiliary, and a good auxiliary at the Presby¬ 
terian Church stands as a memorial to the work of 
Mrs. T. S. Hart, Mrs. Clara LaPrade and Mrs. W. P. 
Bellinger. 

Mrs. S. H. D. Barnes was for many years the leading 
spirit in the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, 
organized in 1908. 

The first civic organization in the town was the 
City Improvement Club, organized in 1907, with Mrs. 


236 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

L. E. Heath president. This later became the Douglas 
Woman’s Club with Mrs. J. C. Brewer president. 

The United Daughters of the Confederacy was or¬ 
ganized in 1906 and is still a flourishing organization. 
Mrs. W. W. McDonald was first president. 

Three literary clubs, The Outlook Club, The Review 
Club, The Research Club, have been contributing fac¬ 
tors to the intellectual life of the town. 

One of the strongest and most helpful organizations 
of the town is the Parent-Teachers’ Association of the 
Douglas High School, organized in 1925, with Mrs. 
T. H. Clark, as president. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 237 


Public Health Work 

A full time health officer has been employed in Coffee 
County since July 1927. The general consensus of 
opinion amongst the tax payers appears to be that the 
money spent on health service has yielded an adequate 
return. 

Here, as elsewhere, the health officer has two cardinal 
duties (1) The control of communicable diseases; (2) 
Elevation of the health standard, especially amongst 
the school population. 

Our school population numbers over 3,000. Of these 
31 per cent, were found under the standard weight, and 
41 per cent handicapped through the presence of hook 
worm. Since the health work started in Coffee County 
there has been over 3,000 children treated for hook 
worm, and their parents given literature telling the 
source of infection and means of preventing re-infec¬ 
tion. 

Malaria is not a serious problem in Coffee County, 
however, the city authorities of Douglas don’t take 
anything for granted. They appropriate money every 
year to carry on draining and oiling the streams and 
ponds in and near the city. By this constructive work 
Douglas is practically free from mosquitoes. 

The evidence of physical defects in school children 
has been on a parity with that observed in other South 
Georgia counties. In this connection a notable task has 
been performed through the collaboration of Parent- 
Teachers ’ Association and the medical and dental pro¬ 
fession. A series of tonsil and dental clinics have 
been held and a total of 275 patients operated upon. 


238 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


A sentiment prevails in the county that something 
worth while lias been accomplished in the way of public 
health. This happy state of affairs is in the main due 
to the spirit of the people. Perhaps there is no other 
section of the State in which there is a community more 
ready to back any project designed for the common 
good. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 239 


The Boy Scout Movement 


It was evening in 
London. The day 
had been unusually 
foggy, even to such 
an extent that the 
street lights were 
turned on before 
noon. 

Mr. William Boyce, 

Chicago publisher 
and traveler, was 
seeking a difficult ad¬ 
dress in old London. 

A boy approached 
and said, “May I be of service to you, sir?” “Yes, 
show me to this address.” 

At the desired location, Mr. Boyce tossed the boy 
a shilling. “Thank you sir, but I am a Scout and 
Scouts do not accept tips for courtesies.” 

Mr. Boyce became immediately interested in Scout¬ 
ing. He went to the office of Sir Robert Baden Powell, 
founder of the British Boy Scout Association and 
gathered all the information he could concerning 
Scouting. 

In February 1909, he and some associates launched 
the movement in the United States. By 1926 over 3,- 
000,000 boys became Scouts. Statistics show that al¬ 
most 50% of the present college men of America have 
been Scouts. Scouting now embraces 57 nations. 

The Scout movement hit Douglas in 1918. Prof. C. 
M. Williams was Scoutmaster. Meetings were held in 



Archie Bagwell 


240 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

the school houses. Mr. Williams was succeeded by 
Dr.. W. C. Bryan, who in turn was succeeded by Mr. 
F. C. Wilson. 

In 1922 Fred Brewer became Scoutmaster and the 
Scout Hut was built on Pearl Street. 

Rev. B. W. Smith and Archie Bagwell met a tragic 
and heroic death off Sea Island Beach near Brunswick, 
Ga., August 4th, 1926. 

The scouts were taking an outing on the beach 
August 4th, 1926. They were all in bathing and were 
coming out. Mr. Smith, the Scoutmaster, remained 
in the water until the last scout was safe on shore. 
It was then discovered that he was in some sort of 
trouble and was drowning in the ocean. Archie Bag- 
well, age fifteen, stout and strong, went to the rescue of 
the drowning Scoutmaster and so they both went down 
and gave up their lives in an heroic effort to save 
the lives of others. 

I think a monument should be built to both the scout 
and the Scoutmaster, but as this has not been done and 
probably will not be done, I am inserting the picture 
of one of these heroes that the memory of their lives 
shall not perish upon this earth. 

Harold Adams next became Scoutmaster. He was 
succeeded by J. E. Crabb who was succeeded by Rev. 
M. P. Cain. 

In November 1929, Prof. T. A. Clower became Scout¬ 
master. Under his leadership, the scout movement in 
Douglas reached its zenith. It is now the prize troop 
of the Okeenokee Council, and one of the best in the 
State. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 241 


History of the Bright Tobacco in 
Georgia 

Tobacco has been grown in Georgia since the State 
was first settled, bnt not on a commercial scale until 
recent years. In 1910 only 2,000 acres of tobacco were 
grown. Most of this in Decatur County around Am¬ 
sterdam. It was cigar filler and Sumatra wrapper 
types. 

In 1914 through their agricultural and industrial 
departments the Central of Georgia, A. B. & C. and 
S. A. L. Railroads began to encourage the tobacco in¬ 
dustry and to give the farmers assistance. Through 
the efforts of these roads tobacco was grown in Early, 
Stewart, and Wilcox Counties. The following year, 
1916, Sumter County grew a little tobacco, and through 
the efforts of the A. B. & C., G. & F., and S. A. L. 
Railroads, and a few men who had moved in from the 
Carolinas the acreage in Coffee and adjoining counties 
increased. During this period tobacco prices were low 
and the farmers were slow to try a new crop that did 
not offer good opportunities for profit. In 1916 the 
tobacco acreage was materially increased in Coffee 
County and the counties adjoining. 

In April 1917 a meeting was held in Fitzgerald, Geor¬ 
gia, for the purpose of discussing the advisability of 
establishing tobacco markets in Georgia. This meet¬ 
ing was composed of agricultural and industrial agents 
of the various railroads operating in South Georgia, 
of farmers and business men, and a tobacco ware¬ 
houseman from South Carolina. This was the begin¬ 
ning of the permanent warehouse development in the 


242 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

State. As a result of this meeting The Georgia Tobacco 
Company was organized at Douglas, and a warehouse 
was built. Through the aid of Georgia and Florida 
warehousemen as well as buyers, were secured from 
the leading tobacco companies. The second warehouse 
in Georgia was opened at Douglas, July, 1917. The 
sales that year were very satisfactory and compared 
favorably with those of the Carolinas. About 355,000 
pounds was sold. 

In 1918 the agricultural and industrial agents of 
practically every railroad operating in the southern 
half of Georgia made a special effort to induce the 
farmers in that section to plant more tobacco. Ex¬ 
perienced tobacco growers were procured from North 
Carolina and South Carolina to supervise tobacco for 
the growers. Tobacco seed was distributed free to the 
farmers by railroad agents and tobacco warehouse¬ 
men. As a result of this effort between 5,000 acres of 
tobacco was grown in 15 counties which prices ran 
about 34 cents, which was above the normal price. 
The average yield per acre was about 750 pounds, 
although yields as high as 2,000 pounds were reported. 
The same year, in addition to the warehouse built in 
Douglas, tobacco warehouses were built in Nicholls 
and Abbeville and markets established at these places. 

In 1919 the Georgia State Agricultural College found 
it possible to employ a field agent to devote most of 
his time to this crop. The high prices obtained for 
tobacco and the damage done to cotton in 1918 by the 
boll weevil caused a wide increase in tobacco, so much 
in fact, that it was necessary to discourage the planting 
of a large acreage of individual farms. About 30,000 
acres of tobacco were planted in 1919 in 45 counties 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 243 

which yielded 10,327,530 pounds of tobacco, which was 
sold at an average of $17.73 per hundred pounds. 
Warehouses were operated at Douglas, Abbeville, 
Nicholls, Fitzgerald, Blackshear, Nashville, Ashburn, 
Tifton, Yidalia, Hazlehurst and Valdosta. The coun¬ 
ties that grew the largest acreage were Coffee, Wilcox, 
Berrien, Ben Hill, Tift, Irwin, Turner, Jeff Davis, 
Pierce and Lowndes. 

Douglas led the State’s markets in tonnage for the 
season, with 10,940,937 pounds sold there at an aver¬ 
age price of 18.65 cents a pound, bringing $2,021,339.17. 
Nashville ran high in the matter of average price with 
21.10 cents a pound, at which rate 7,623,089 pounds 
which brought an aggregate of $1,608,848.29. 

Douglas sold more than twelve million pounds of 
tobacco during the year 1930. 

It is worthy of note that this country was in the 
tobacco business as far back as 1619. When there 
was sent from London to the first colony, ninety women, 
“young and incorrupt” and two years later sixty more 
maids of “virtuous education, young and handsome” 
also seeking husbands under a forced social order. The 
first feminine arrivals were consigned to Virginia 
bachelors, each for a hundred and twenty pounds of 
native tobacco. The second group of English ladies 
was bartered for a hundred and fifty pounds of air- 
cured tobacco. 

It is also worthy of note that in the early days of 
Virginia, tobacco was the currency of the realm. 


244 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


Automobiles 

There are now hundreds of automobiles in Coffee 
County. There are many kinds, including trucks of 
many kinds. 

So far as we can learn, the first automobile in Coffee 
County was brought to Douglas by Dr. W. F. Sibbett 
about the year 1900. The name of the automobile was 
a Schat. It was a strange looking vehicle. It had 
high wheels and looked like an old-time buggy. The 
machine cost six hundred and eighty dollars. It was 
a strange looking sight on the streets of Douglas and 
on the roads of Coffee County. 

It is strange what a great influence automobiles 
have had upon Coffee County. They have changed the 
habits of the people. Persons can now go as far in 
an hour as they used to travel in a whole day long. 
It has brought the people and their business closer 
together and has increased business to a large extent. 

It is a question whether the automobile is an asset 
or a liability to the country. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 245 


Lawyers 

Chastain & Henson, R. V. Chastain, Douglas, Ga.; 
Slater & Moore, Rufus Moore, John R. Slater, Doug¬ 
las, Ga.; Quincey & Quincey, S. 0. Quincey, Ilately 
Quincey, Douglas, Ga.; Mingledoff & Gibson, George H. 
Mingledoff, John Gibson, Douglas, Ga.; L. E. Heath, 
Douglas, Ga.; Herman Barnes, Douglas, Ga.; Dave 
Sapp, Douglas, Ga.; Elisha Grantham, Douglas, Ga.; 
J. A. Roberts, Douglas, Ga.; Miss Clyde Wheeless, 
Douglas, Ga.; Kelley and Dickerson, Lawson Kelley, 
M. D. Dickerson, Douglas, Ga.; Will Dickerson, Doug¬ 
las, Ga.; B. G. O’Berry, Jr., Douglas, Ga.; J. H. Wil¬ 
liams, Douglas, Ga.; W. P. Ward, Douglas, Ga. 


Doctors 

Medical Doctors 

Dr. A. S. M. Coleman, Douglas, Ga.; Dr. I. W. Moor¬ 
man, Douglas, Ga.; Dr. Will F. Sibbett, Sr., Douglas, 
Ga.; Dr. Will A. Sibbett, Jr., Douglas, Ga.; Dr. T. H. 
Clark, Douglas, Ga.; Dr. John Smith, Douglas, Ga.; 
Dr. S. E. Vinson, Douglas, Ga.; Dr. B. 0. Quillian, 
Douglas, Ga.; Dr. A. D. Bennett, Douglas, Ga.; Dr. 
Hughs, Douglas, Ga.; Dr. J. J. Lott, Broxton, Ga.; 
Dr. D. H. Meeks, Nicholls, Ga.; Dr. Hall, Nicholls, 
Ga.; Dr. Harper, Ambrose, Ga. 


Dentists 

Dr. Lewis Davis, Douglas, Ga.; Dr. M. H. Turrentine, 
Douglas, Ga.; Dr. M. IL Turrentine, Jr., Douglas, Ga. 


246 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


Cotton Picking Time in Georgia 

Sitting at my window this, beautiful October day 
I see loads and loads of cotton coming to market. It 
makes me think of childhood and home when I was 
a little boy on the farm. Most of this cotton comes 
from country homes and much of it is picked by coun¬ 
try boys and girls. They have worked hard all the 
summer, chopping, thinning, and hoeing the cotton, 
and now they have “picked it out,” as we say, and 
it is now being sold ; and I wonder, yes I wonder, what 
are all these boys and girls to get out of it? 

Long time ago when I was a little boy on the farm 
my mother would tell me if I would be smart she would 
buy me something pretty when the cotton was sold. 
And all through the long summer days, as I worked 
I would think of something to buy. The first gun I 
owned, Brother Frank and I went partners. We “took 
in” the land and made the cotton and bought it all by 
ourselves. But the biggest thing I ever owned was 
an iron handle knife with “I. X. L.” on the blade and 
on the handle. Uncle Dunk Douglas said it meant: 

“Iron handle and pewter blade, 

Sorriest knife was ever made.” 

But my knife was alright. I took it to bed with me 
when I went to sleep. That night I dreamed I lost it. 
I was so scared I waked up. I felt for my knife and 
found it and held it in my hand Til daylight. 

I wonder what the boys and girls are getting out 
of all this cotton? I hope all the fathers and mothers 
will be good to the boys and girls and get them all 
something nice. And let me beg this one favor. Let 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 247 

each boy and girl have some one thing that they wish 
most. Don’t make them have what yon wish and 
nothing else. Let them make one choice and then yon 
get it, makes no difference what it is. 

Writing these thoughts makes me hungry to be a 
boy again, out on the farm, free as the air, living in 
peace with God and all mankind and owing no man 
anything but to love him. 

God bless the little boys and girls, the little cotton 
pickers of Coffee County. Fathers and mothers, give 
them a chance; they are worth more and much more 
than all your cotton. Give them a chance. 

Their friend, 

W. P. WARD. 


From Ward’s Scrapbook, 1905. 


248 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

The Boll Weevil 

The boll weevil made its first appearance in Coffee 
County in the year 1917. His coming was an epoch 
in the history of Coffee County. The farmers of 
Coffee County had never been hit so hard before. They 
were dumbfounded. They did not know which way to 
turn or what to do. Many of our farmers were not 
able to pay off the mortgages on their farms, and for 
lack of being able to make cotton their farms were 
lost. As an example of the awful destruction of 
the farming interests I will give you the figures of one 
of our best farmers, which will give you a good idea 
of what happened to all the farmers. 

In the year 1917, the first year the boll weevil began 
his operations, the farm given you as an example 
produced 220 bales of cotton. In 1918, the next year, 
the same number of acres produced 116 bales of cot¬ 
ton. In 1919, the third year, the same farm only pro¬ 
duced 16 bales of cotton, being almost a total de¬ 
struction. 

The farmers have tried many remedies to combat 
the boll weevil, but nothing so far has been a success. 
Early varieties of cotton and early planting with the 
use of lots of high grade fertilizers and rapid cultiva¬ 
tion adds much in the production of cotton under boll 
weevil conditions. Dry, hot weather, with rapid cul¬ 
tivation helps in the fight. 

This year, 1930, July weather conditions are favor¬ 
able and the farmers hope to make at least half a crop. 

So far as we can get information as to the history 
of the boll weevil in other countries, he continues his 
partial destruction of the cotton crops. The farmers 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 249 

continue their fight against the boll weevil but do not 
hope for his final elimination. But so long as the 
farmers can grow a half crop of cotton they will con¬ 
tinue to grow it. 


250 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


Storms 

Coffee County and this section of Southeast Georgia 
is almost free from storms of every kind. So far as 
I can ascertain there has never been but one severe 
storm in Coffee County. I have heard of this storm 
all my life. I saw the track of this storm about twenty 
years after. There was not a tree standing in the 
path of the storm. It was in the fall season, about 
1857, when a severe storm originated in the neighbor¬ 
hood where the country home of Mr. J. C. Brewer now 
stands, about three miles north of Douglas. The storm 
moved eastward almost in a straight line, passed on 
to the coast and into the Atlantic Ocean. The path 
of the storm was about one mile wide. A story is told 
about old man Dan Lott, who at that time was one of 
the biggest farmers in Coffee County and was well 
fixed with houses and fences and other things usually 
had on a big country farm. Mr. Lott had just left 
home on his way to Jacksonville, Georgia, to attend 
Superior Court. But the storm had passed over and 
there was not a roof on a house on the farm. The crib 
was blown away and the corn scattered for more than 
a mile. The cotton house was blown away and the 
cotton was scattered for more than a mile. It looked 
like a snow storm had passed over the place. The bed 
quilts were scattered for miles, some of them were 
hanging in the trees. Everything on the Lott place 
was in confusion and the big family all scared half 
to death. The old negro went after Mr. Lott and 
overtook him before he reached Jacksonville, Georgia. 
When he told Mr. Lott what had happened Mr. Lott 
said it was not so, that nothing could be as bad as 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 251 


that. But lie turned around and went back home and 
found it much worse than the negro had pictured it. 

No such storm has ever visited Coffee County since 
that time. We are perhaps safer from storms than 
any other section of South Georgia. 


\252 Ward's History of Coffee County 


The Liquor Laws 

lly Act of the Legislature of 1878-9, page 388, a 
license for selling or vending spiritous, intoxicating 
and malt liquors in the counties of Wayne, Liberty, 
Coffee and Appling, was fixed at the sum of $1,000, 
and a bond was required given and an oath taken by 
the retailers, and the Act made it a misdemeanor for 
violation of its terms. 

The Act of the Legislature approved August 18, 
1881, Acts 1880-1, page 594, amended the previous Act 
so as to apply the license fixed in Coffee County to 
the sale of beers, ciders, bitters or nostrums, whether 
patented or not, and with or without name, which, if 
taken in sufficient quantities to produce intoxication. 

The Act approved September 4, 1883, Acts 1882-3, 
page 567, amended the law further so as to fix the 
annual license fees in Wayne, Liberty, Coffee and 
Appling Counties at the sum of $10,000. 

In 1885 the Legislature passed a general law, Acts 
1884-5, pages 121-24, known as the local option Act, 
authorizing any county in the state to petition the 
Ordinary to call an election to determine whether 
liquors should be sold in the county. This Act was 
amended by the Acts of 1890-91, page 130, so as to 
attach penalties for violation of the Act. 

A local act approved July 16, 1903, Acts 1903, pages 
362-4, authorized the County Commissioners of Coffee 
County, and the Mayor and Council of the City of 
Douglas to open up and operate a dispensary for the 
sale of intoxicating liquors in the City of Douglas, and 
further authorized the County Commissioners to open 
up and operate a dispensary in any other incorporated 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 253 


town in the county having a population of four hun¬ 
dred or more. The Act contained a referendum re¬ 
quiring an election to put the Act in force, and when 
the election was held the Act failed of adoption. 

Coffee County continued dry under the local option 
Act, until superseded by the Eighteenth Amendment 
of the Constitution, the Volstead Act, and the Enabling 
Act of the State of Georgia, under the Eighteenth 
Amendment. 


254 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


A Strange Phenomenon 

About the year 1914, in the month of August, there 
appeared a strange phenomenon in Coffee County. In 
a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, hundreds of 
acres of cotton plants were wilted in the fields. Aj 
rain had fallen about three o’clock in the afternoon 
but the clouds had passed away and the sun was 
shining. There was no wind blowing like the hot 
winds in the west, nor nothing to indicate that any¬ 
thing unusual was about to happen. 

Mr. W. H. Vickers, a good farmer and a very re¬ 
liable man, living about four miles south of Douglas, 
gives a good description of what happened on his 
farm. He was standing under a shelter and had a 
good view of the clouds and the fields. All at once 
the heavens seemed to light up as though a cloud 
had passed from under the sun, but the sun was 
shining all the time. The phenomenon did not cover 
the entire county but was in spots, perhaps worse at 
the Vickers farm than anywhere else. Many of the 
plants recovered and became normal, but many of the 
leaves twisted up and crimped around the edges and 
finally died. 

This phenomenon does not compare with earth¬ 
quakes nor with the falling stars of 1833, but it was 
a real phenomenon and is a part of the history! of 
Coffee County. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 255 


Early Steamboat Navigation on the 
Ocmulgee 

By Mrs. Lon Dickey 

In the Centennial Edition of The Telfair Enterprise, 
published at McRae October 31, 1907, is the following 
bit of history concerning early navigation on the 
Ocmulgee River in Coffee County. Because of the fact 
that this territory was a part of Telfair County up to 
1854, and the territories on the south side of the river 
were served in the same manner from the landings in 
the present boundaries of Coffee, as follows: Ashley’s 
Landing, Barrow’s Bluff, First Tub Lake, Manning’s 
Lower Fence, Burkett’s Ferry and Dodge’s Boom. This 
article says: 

In the Pioneer days of Telfair the only means the 
people had of transporting their products to market 
and obtaining supplies that could not be provided at 
home was by pole boats on the Ocmulgee, Altamaha to 
Darien, thence by sail to the markets, or by wagons, 
a distance of one hundred and twenty-five miles by 
dirt road to Savannah. 

Pole Boats Built 

Boats were built in the county, loaded with cotton 
and other farm products, drifted down the river to 
Darien where the cargoes were transferred to sailing 
vessels for Savannah and other ports. The boats were 
then loaded at Darien with cargoes of general mer¬ 
chandise brought by sail from Savannah, Charleston, 
and New York, and poled up the river by hand, re¬ 
quiring several weeks to make a trip. In times of 


256 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

high water it was often necessary to use a rope and 
windlass to pull the boats up the swift current at 
certain places in the river, so it can be readily under¬ 
stood that the up trip of a pole boat was slow and 
tedious, requiring much labor. In those days the 
freight on many kinds of goods was more than the 
prime cost; yet the people of this section were con¬ 
tented and prosperous though the cost of transporta¬ 
tion was so high. 

Introduction of Steamboats on the Ocmulgee 

About the year 1827 steam navigation was intro¬ 
duced on the Ocmulgee. There is much doubt as to 
how high up the river the first boat ran. And there 
is no record at this late date as to the name of the boat 
and her commander. 

The first steamboat on the Ocmulgee to run as high 
up as Macon was the “North Carolina,” commanded 
by Captain Salter. The historical record and history 
of Macon and central Georgia, by J. C. Butler, gives 
the date of the arrival of this steamer at Macon as 
January 18, 1829. 

On the trip of the steamer up the river, the Macon 
Telegraph, of 1829, said: “Many of the people along 
the river banks were alarmed at the smoke and noise. 
Some mistook the noise for a roaring lion; others for 
the sneeze of the elephant. Some -thought it the 
hissing of a sea serpent, or the groaning of an earth¬ 
quake. Others thought it was war, pestilence and 
famine, but the most general opinion was that it was 
the tariff coming in person to eat up our cotton and 
corn and to drink up the river dry and that was an! 
infringement of the state’s rights. There was a 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 257 


climbing of trees and picking of Hints and liad not 
the boat made its escape it would have been hard; 1 to 
tell what the consecpience might have been.” 

The Steamboat “Pioneer” 

The next boat to run through to Macon was the 
“Pioneer,” built at Macon by Charles Day and James 
R. Butts. 

At first, the steamboats ran only to Darien, but later 
regular line freight and passenger steamers ran 
through from Macon to Savannah. After the building 
of the Central of Georgia Railroad from Savannah 
to Macon in 1843, which furnished quicker transporta¬ 
tion to the seaboard, steamboats to Macon were dis¬ 
continued and Hawkinsville was made the head of 
navigation. 

Before the war and for a few years after the sur¬ 
render, there were some fine passenger and freight 
steamers on the Ocmulgee plying between Hawkins¬ 
ville and Savannah. It was the only means of trans¬ 
portation for the merchants and planters along the 
river who made business trips to Savannah two or 
three times a year, but after the building of the old 
Macon and Brunswick and the territory adjacent to 
the river with the seaboard, navigation on the 
Ocmulgee began to decline. 

Historic Incidents on the Ocmulgee 

In the spring of 1861, just before the breaking out 
of the Civil War, the steamer “General Manning” 
on her up trip from Savannah to Hawkinsville, with a 
large cargo of general merchandise and a long list 


258 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

of passengers, was blown up at “Manning’s Lower 
Fence,” a landing a few miles below Jacksonville. 

Many of the passengers and members of the crew 
were killed by the explosion of the boilers. Among 
those killed were Joseph Williams, Jacob Parker and 
John Harrell, all prominent planters of the China Hill 
neighborhood in Telfair County. The steamer was 
in command of Captain Taylor, of Hawkinsville, who 
was seriously injured and his son killed. 

The “Governor Troup” Captured 

Near the close of the Civil War, the steamer “Gov¬ 
ernor Troup” was captured by a band of deserters 
from the Confederate Army at Town Bluff, a few miles 
below the junction of the Ocmulgee and Oconee 
Rivers. 

The “Governor Troup” was on her way down trip 
from Hawkinsville with a cargo of supplies for the 
Confederate army on the coast. At Town Bluff, where 
she had landed to take on wood, the band of deserters 
boarded her, took possession, placed guards over the 
pilots and engineers and forced them to run the boat 
to Savannah where she was delivered to the Union 
forces for a large money consideration. 

The engineers of the steamer, Mr. Isaac Higgs, now 
a resident of Appling County, and Mr. Miller, late of 
Hawkinsville, conspired to blow up the boat with the 
deserters on board, but desisted on learning that some 
prominent men from Irwin and Telfair Counties were 
on board sleeping in their staterooms. The engineers 
intended saving themselves, in case that the boat was 
blown up, by taking refuge in the wheel house, the 
“Governor Troup” being a sidewheel steamer, they 
could easily have exploded the boiler. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 259 

The Steamer “Wanderer” 

A few years prior to the Civil War, the noted 
steamship “Wanderer” landed a cargo of African 
negroes on the coast in the vicinity of Brunswick in 
violation of law, as years before Congress had passed a 
law prohibiting the importation of African slaves into 
the United States. 

This cargo of Africans was smuggled in and a 
portion of them were shipped up to Ocmulgee and 
landed at Jacksonville, it being the object of the 
promoters of the enterprise to sell them as slaves. 

But the authorities learned of the affair and sent 
officers to arrest the negroes as well as those having 
them in charge. Those landed at Jacksonville were 
captured, sent to Savannah, and either liberated or 
deported. 



(Left) Arthur Lott, who represented Coffee County in the Legis¬ 
lature 1900-01. 

(Right) Major John M. Spence, Captain Company C., 5th Ga. 
Regiment, and later was elected Major of his regiment. He was also 
a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1877. 




260 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

The Ocmulgee River Section 

Plantation Memories 

By Mrs. Lon Dickey 

The Ocmulgee River section of Coffee County lies 
along the Ocmulgee River in the northern part of 
Coffee County. Before the Civil War this section was 
the wealthiest and most cultured section of Coffee 
County. The Ashleys who lived up there were big 
slaver owners. Nathaniel Ashley owned more than 
a hundred slaves. 

A public road ran through this section and was 
known as “The River Road.” Many beautiful homes 
were located along this highway which led from the 
section around Hazlehurst to Hawkinsville, Ga. 

But it is not altogether of military heroes that I 
would write. For there are the character builders of 
Coffee County, those who believed in the study of the 
Holy Bible as a foundation of character. 

The Boyd Plantation 

There are two thousand acres included in it, and 
it lies three miles from the western boundary of the 
county, on the road from Hawkinsville to Hazlehurst. 

The first accounts I have of it is that it was owned 
by one Hiram Swain, and was purchased by Cornelius 
Ashley, of Telfair County, for his son, Jonathan 
Ashley, who married Miss Elizabeth Shelton, daughter 
of Major Charles Shelton. 

Major Shelton is buried at the Old Block House 
just across the river, and on his tombstone we read 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 261 

that he was born Nov. .16, 1787, and died July 19, 
1871, nearly eighty-four years of age. 

His deseendants around Valdosta are numerous, but 
only two grandsons were born to him in Coffee County, 
Maxey and Ed Ashley, the former now living in 
Valdosta. His son, “J. M. the third,” served in the 
World War from Lowndes County. 

The Ashley Sisters 

At the death of Cornelius Ashley his slaves were 
divided, and his daughters, Mary and Ellen, came over 
from Telfair County and made their home with their 
brother, Jonathan, who worked their slaves, twenty- 
five each, on this old plantation. 

Mary married a Medloek, and Ellen married a 
Culver, from Culverton, in Hancock County. Her 
daughter, Burrows Culver, named for her Grand¬ 
mother Burrows Maxey Ashley, married A. J. Comer 
and lived at Cordele in 1924. 

There were other Ashley families along the river 
road all the way to Hazlehurst, and, as I understand 
it, Nat and Cornelius were the sons of old Dr. Bill 
Ashley, one of the first settlers of Telfair County. 
Matt Ashley, who organized the Fourth Georgia 
Cavalry, from Coffee County, was the son of Nat 
Ashley. His children were Dr. Bill Ashley of Ocilla, 
Marshall Ashley of Douglas, Mrs. J. J. Lewis and 
Mrs. William Hinson of Hazlehurst. 

However, to use a right expression, their ‘ ‘ family 
tree has become a forest,” and it is not for me to try 
to unravel its history. Ashley River, on which are 
the famous Magnolia Gardens of Charleston, is named 
for one branch of their family. 


262 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

Was Store Keeper 

My father, Capt. Boyd, was a member of a family 
of twelve children, near Lumber City, and after re¬ 
ceiving his education at Spring Hill Academy near 
there, he came over to “keep store” for his cousin, 
Jonathan Ashley. 

Susan Caroline Ashley was my father’s grand¬ 
mother, and also, Elizabeth Shelton was his first 
cousin. And oh, the many happy and amusing ex¬ 
periences my father had with the slaves with which 
he used to delight us, for he was an excellent story 
teller. 

My grandfather was James Boyd, born in Camden 
County, April 14, 1807. My grandmother was Mary 
Ann Monroe, born November 5th, 1811. They were 
married in Laurens County, Georgia, December 23, 
1830. My grandfather died at his Telfair County home 
January 1st, 1884, and my grandmother came to make 
her home with us until she passed away March 25th, 
1885. 

Memory Goes Back 

The question is often discussed, how far back into 
childhood can one remember? 

I heard grandmother tell many delightful things 
concerning my father’s oldest brother, Dr. Augustine 
Monroe Boyd, who had visited often at the home of 
Jonathan Ashley. 

He received his medical education at the old Shorter 
College, which was then a medical college for men, 
located at Cave Spring, I was told. There he married 
Miss Eva Fitzgerald, October 3, 1854. Shorter was 
later moved to Rome. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 263 


He served throughout the War Between the States 
as surgeon for the Confederate forces, principally 
from Macon up to Virginia. 

Goes to Mexico 

At the close of the war he bitterly declared that the 
United States was no place in which to rear a family, 
with its free negroes, carpet baggers, and other un¬ 
desirable conditions brought on by the war, so he 
took his family of several sons and a daughter to 
New Orleans, thence down to Tuxpam Bay, in Mexico, 
and at one time lived in Tampico. He died there July 
21st, 1886. Although he tried to persuade the other 
members of his family to accompany him, my Aunt 
Ella Jane Boyd, for whom I was named, was the only 
one who went, having married Captain Archibald 
Hughes, of Mt. Vernon, in Montgomery County. She 
lived there eight years, but returned and died the 
last member of her family, December 28th, 1929. 

But getting back to Coffee County. My father, 
Julius Warren Boyd, volunteered and joined a com¬ 
pany at Jacksonville, and all the plantation and a 
great many people from other homes in Coffee went 
over to see them off. My father left as lieutenant, 
but on the death of their captain he took his place, 
Captain of Company H, 20th Georgia Infantry. 

He served throughout the war without coming home, 
and was paroled at Appomattox Court House, Vir¬ 
ginia, April 9th, 1865. 

Off to Valdosta 

With the slaves freed, all of the Coffee County 
Ashleys moved to Valdosta. Captain Boyd was left 


264 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


in charge of the Jonathan Ashley plantation, until the 
death of Mr. Ashley one year after settling in Val¬ 
dosta. 

Captain Boyd purchased it and, March 31, 1870, 
married Miss Marcella Smith, on the William Ashley 
plantation three miles further east. 

On this plantation, right near the “Big House,” are 
two old weatherstained tombstones that are very dear 
to me. Their inscriptions read: “Sacred to the memory 
of Joshua H. Frier. Died Feb. 28th, 1872. Aged 65 
years, 9 months, and 28 days. None knew him but 
to love him.” 

“Narcissa Frier, died March 26, 1887. I love them 
that love me; and those that seek me early shall find 
me. Proverbs 8:17.” 

Things That Live 

The stone was placed there by Mr. J. M. Ashley, 
of Douglas, who was surprised on receiving through 
her will this old plantation which had come to her, 
with its slaves, through her first husband, Capt. 
William Ashley, who died May 1st, 1839. 

What would have been a mere pittance decided 
among others, was managed judiciously by its new 
owner, who traded it to Reverend Monroe Wilcox for 
a body of pines farther back from the river, and gave 
him the start in naval stores business that helped him 
to amass a fortune in and around Douglas. 

Reverend Wilcox had also married a second time, 
and his wife, who was my mother’s cousin, Emma 
Pickren, became another sweet memory to me as a 
neighbor. But just now it is of my great uncle and 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 265 


aunt, Joshua Frier and Narcissa Frier, that I would 
offer a few words in memory and appreciation. 

Just a Tribute 

She was first Narcissa Smith, and at the time of my 
Grandfather and Grandmother Smith, near Denton, 
took her three nieces, Narcissa, Annie and Marcella, 
and reared them, and as there were no schools that 
I ever heard of, except one on the adjoining plantation 
of Mr. Archibald McClean, they taught them all they 
ever knew. Uncle Joshua becoming one of my mother’s 
sweet and sacred memories, for he was a gentleman 
of the old school and a loyal and devoted Christian. 

The old school of which I speak was taught by a 
dear old gentleman whom my mother called “Uncle 
Tarrant,” but she was never privileged to attend this 
old school hut three months. 

The eldest of these three orphan girls, Narcissa, 
married Mr. Aaron Frier and reared a large family 
in the lower part of the county. 

An Old Doctor 

Annie married Dr. James Allison Googe, whose 
father had come into the country from Holland. It 
was his second marriage, and they lived at Milltown 
and Homerville, and finally on one of the river planta¬ 
tions. She is buried at Oak Grove Church with one 
of her sons, Walter Googe. The others were Jefferson 
Lee and William Robert Googe, the latter being Dr. 
W. R. Googe of Abbeville. 

Marcella married Captain Julius Warren Boyd, 
March 31, 1870, and eleven children were born to 
them at their plantation home. 


266 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


A Church Founded 

One of the first things my father did after his mar¬ 
riage to my mother March 31, 1870, was to begin a 
Methodist Church on his grounds. This was Oak 
Grove Church, and was not finally completed until 
along in the 80’s, when Mr. Miles Wilson Howell, of 
Suffolk, Va., and Mr. John McLean began naval stores 
operations in that part of the country and contributed 
greatly in the upbuilding of the church. 

Mr. “Tony Howell,” as he was called, married my 
sister, Leila Boyd, in October, 1891, and Mr. John 
McLean married Miss Anne Latimer, daughter of Dr. 
Latimer, of Hazlehurst. 

This church was burned sometime after my family 
moved to Fitzgerald in 1900, and later my husband 
gave lumber from his old saw mill at West Green and 
it was rebuilt across the road from the old site, some 
of the builders being A. M. Wilcox, Duncan McLean, 
Anderson McLean, and Mr. Dickey. 

A Returned Soldier 

I recall a very touching incident of my mother’s 
girlhood days which she told to me, and which hap¬ 
pened at an old church along the old river road 
beyond Rocky Creek, somewhere between there and 
Hazlehurst. 

It was during the War Between the States, and my 
mother had seen two of her brothers march away to 
war, also two of them had gone from Bronson, Fla., 
which is way down on the Suwanee River in Levy 
County. 

Her favorite brother, Neil Smith, had been wounded 
and had been reported near death in some far distant 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 267 


land, and she was feeling very sad and distressed 
when two of her friends, Miss Roxie Reed who later 
married Captain Tom Wilcox, and Miss Rebecca Mc¬ 
Duffie who married Mr. Willis Dorminey, came to 
accompany her to this old church, which was nothing 
more than a shelter with a brush arbor built around 
it, though the elite of the land gathered there at 
these annual meetings in summer. 

Sitting there listening to the old minister, with her 
face toward the east, she saw a soldier limping down 
the road in a tattered grey uniform, who, on reaching 
the crowd that rushed out to meet him when he col¬ 
lapsed from hunger and fatigue, turned out to be her 
brother, Neil Smith. 

This brother afterward married Miss Nannie Smith, 
of Homerville, and lived in Valdosta a number of 
years, later moving with his large family to 
Nacadoschee, Texas, where he died. 

Saw General Beauregard 

Another war incident my mother remembered was 
of seeing General Beauregard and his staff of uni¬ 
formed officers who stopped and had dinner at the 
home of her uncle and aunt following the surrender. 

Needless to say, a great feast was prepared and after 
partaking of it the distinguished visitors drove rapidly 
away to the west along the old river road. She under¬ 
stood that they had been around Savannah and 
Charleston, and although I never saw anyone who 
knew of General Beauregard and his staff taking this 
route, my mother was quite sure this was he, and ever 
remembered the thrill she felt on seeing the beautiful, 
sleek black horses, their shining harness, and the 


268 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


glittering uniforms of the general and his staff, their 
courtly manners, and the sorrows they expressed over 
the surrender. 


The Fussell Family 

The great tract of land lying in Coffee County, 
coming from the west, was owned by the Fussell 
family. A granddaughter in this family married Mr. 
Daniel Newbern, and their children were: Emma, 
Winnie, Billy, Dan, Jesse and Eula. Two of these, 
Mrs. Micajah Vickers (Winnie) and Mrs. Cottingham 
(Eula) now live in Douglas. 

Another granddaughter, Miss Mary Fussell, married 
Mr. Duncan McLean, and they still live on a section 
of these lands. Mrs. M. F. Head, who was Mary Ella 
McLean, lives in Douglas. 

The new road leading to the bridge at Jacksonville 
Ferry passes through these lands, the old fields of 
which were among the most fertile and most diligently 
cultivated “Befo’ de Wah.” 

Plantation Memories 

About three miles out from the river, which is at 
Sapp’s Still on this road, there is a ridge from which 
may be seen the blue hills of Telfair County across 
the river. At some points this is a beautiful panorama 
which spreads out before one on clear days. It is only 
of these plantations in this valley that I make mention. 

The McLean Family 

The next plantation to the east of my father was 
the Archibald McLean estate. These were Scotch 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 269 

people, and were great sheep raisers. A sheep shear¬ 
ing at their river home was one of the festive occasions 
of the eighties. 

The tombstone at Oak Grove Cemetery has these 
two inscriptions: “Archibald McLean, born March 16, 
1818. Died January 6, 1900.” “Margaret Ann Mc¬ 
Lean, died February 4, 1888, aged 46 years, 4 months, 
and 11 days.” 

The latter was a daughter of Mr. Duncan McRae, of 
Telfair County, a member of the Scotch colony that 
settled that county in 1807. She grieved sadly over 
the death of their eldest son, Albert, who was killed 
in battle near Griffin, Ga., during the War Between 
the States, in 1864. He was a member of Company B, 
Artillery Battalion. 

The other children were Flora Ella, Mary, John, 
Duncan, Anderson, and Frank. 

The youngest, Frank, married Miss Ophelia Graham, 
of Telfair County, January 22, 1890, and their 
“Infare” at the McLean home following the marriage 
was one of the festive occasions of that period. She 
was a most lovable person, and was ever afterward a 
friend of my mother, a good neighbor and church 
member. 

Their children were: Walter, Edna, Ftank, Lola 
Mae, Roy, Jewell, Oscar, and John. Walter died early, 
and Frank was in service in the World War twenty- 
two months, eighteen of which were spent in France, 
while Roy was in service eighteen months, spending 
eleven months in France. They have been residents 
of Douglas for some years. 


270 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


Reverend Monroe Wilcox 

The first wife of Reverend Monroe Wilcox was Miss 
Mary Wooten, and her simple marker at Oak Grove 
has this inscription: “Mary Wilcox, born Feb. 28th, 
1835, died June 16, 1887.” 

Their children were Augustus and Marvin, and the 
following daughters: Pet, William Hogan, of Mystic; 
Katherine, named T. L. Pickern; Elizabeth, named 
M. E. Yarbough, who died; and Cora, now Mrs. Wil¬ 
liam Denton. 

This good man served Oak Grove Church for many 
years, and his son, Gus, who died about 1926, kept 
the church and Sunday school going after all of the 
old river families had moved away, his family still 
being devoted to its welfare. 

Beyond Rocky Creek 

Next to the McLean estate was the plantation be¬ 
longing to Aunt Narcissa Frier, formerly Mrs. William 
Ashley. Then came the treacherous and turbulent 
Rocky Creek, beyond which I know very little. There 
were the families of Wiley Byrd, Abraham Minchew, 
John Pickern, Colonel Manning, Colonel Hammond, 
Matt Ashley, the Paces, Taylors, Currys, Hinsons, and 
many others. 

Colonel Manning married an Ashley, I think a sister 
of Matt Ashley. I heard people speak of the large 
number of slaves he owned before the war. There 
was considerable wealth on this portion of the river 
road, which, of course, was wiped out with the freeing 
of the slaves in 1863, and practically all of the old 
families drifted away from their plantations and left 
them in the hands of strangers. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 271 

Speaking of Rocky Creek, which was practically the 
dividing line of the two sections of the river road, one 
is charmed with the wild beauty of this stream, for it 
is one of ruggedness and mystery. 

The Picnic Rocks 

Its ruggedness begins with the great grey boulders 
of the picnic rocks, known in former times as “falling 
waters,” for there was quite a water fall at this spot 
which was near the home of Major McNeill, one of the 
pioneer naval stores operators from Robeson County, 
North Carolina, who gave the place its name. 

From there on to the Ocmulgee River, there were 
two great cliffs lining each side of a wooded stretch 
through which this stream flowed, great grey boulders 
with crevasses in them, and others poised perilously 
on top of each other just as though there had been a 
great upheaval there in the days gone by. 

Dr. McCallie, State Geologist, once said that such 
conditions indicated oil beneath a surface. At any 
rate, it excites the wonder of visitors to see these great 
boulders balanced as though they might topple over, 
but never do. 

The River Boats 

I recall the steamboats on the Ocmulgee, some of 
them being the “City of Macon,” “City of Hawkins- 
ville,” and “Lumber City,” the latter being the prop¬ 
erty, I think, of Captain Eli Wilcox. 

Captain John L. Day, of Lumber City, had a line of 
steamboats named for his children, the “Tommy Day,” 
the “Ida Barrett,” and the “John L. Day.” Later he 
built a more pretentious boat and named it for his 
son who had died, “The Harry G. Day.” 


272 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 


There was quite a celebration when this boat made 
its first trip up as far as old Jacksonville Ferry, which 
was almost opposite our plantation. The new boat was 
in charge of Captain Charley Phillips, and he treated 
the entire village of Jacksonville and its countryside 
to a free ride back to Barrows Bluff, on our side, for 
a fish fry. 

Flowers Blossom Unseen 

However, neither visitors nor natives venture very 
far in this wild solitude because it is known as a 
refuge for rattlesnakes and wild goats that scamper 
away at the sight of a human being. 

Great magnolias, white dogwood, wild azaleas, 
grandfathers beard, Judas tree, crabapple, wild phlox, 
purple violets, and other woodland beauties, each 
spring blossom unseen along this stream, for it is in 
spring that it “goes on a rampage,’’ and halts the 
motorist or traveler of any kind, for no bridge had 
been built over it when I last saw it. 

During the War Between the States, those who 
would not fight hid out in the rocks, searchers almost 
catching a group of them once in a cave known as 
“The Billy Goat House,” where their fire was found 
still burning. Heavy rains in recent years have filled 
in the caves to a great extent, and perhaps in years to 
come they may be hidden in drifting sand. 

The Big Fish Fry 

The fish were caught and prepared by Mr. Tony 
Howell and Mr. John McLean, whose naval stores 
products furnished the boats with chief cargoes. 

Happy negro men fried the fish, cooked the bread, 
made lemonade with “Boughten Ice,” families 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 273 

brought great hampers filled with good things to eat, 
and altogether it was one of the most notable and 
festive occasions of that period. 

The big boat with its bright red roofs and fresh 
white painted sides, grey decks and big water wheel 
delighted my young mind as we all went aboard in 
line to inspect its plush carpeted cabin, state rooms, 
dining hall, and upper decks. It was one of the most 
memorable occasions people had enjoyed since “Befo’ 
de Wah.” 

The Old House 

This old house in which I was born was a double¬ 
pen log affair ceiled inside with wide, smooth boards, 
and weatherboardecl outside, porch all the way across 
front, shed room and side porch, and previously the 
big kitchen had been set quite a distance from the 
house, in case of fire it was easier to save one or the 
other. There was a dining room adjoining the kitchen 
for good weather, and another indoors for unpleasant 
weather. 

From time to time portions of the original dwelling 
had been torn away and the good lumber utilized in 
adding necessary rooms for our family. Lumber was 
not available then, all this having been sawn at 
Lumber City and floated up on barges, and all the 
bricks for the chimney and tall pillars had been made 
in Macon and hauled down in wagons. 

Rooms were designated as “Cousin Lizzie’s old 
room,” “Mary and Ellen’s room,” the “Preacher’s 
room,” and the “Company room,” and so on. Later 
a kitchen and “Blow way” were added and the old 
kitchen converted into a dairy. 


274 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


The Cotton Industry 

Raising cotton was still the order of the day when 
my father, Capt. Boyd, began his married life on the 
plantation. And although the old gin houses and 
storage houses had fallen into a state of decay when 
I first began to observe operations, the old loom house 
was in a fair state of preservation, and considerable 
weaving was done by my mother, aunts, and my oldest 
sister. There were wonderful bedspreads, heavy white 
cloth, and “Blue Jeans.” 

Working thread into “hanks” for the loom on the 
old warping bars was a delight to me. And the 
spinning wheel was ever a source of fascination to us. 
Carding bats of white, fluffy new cotton with which 
to pad quilts was, also, most intriguing, and gathering 
indigo for dye furnished us many happy excursions 
into the woods and blossoming hedges. 

My father carried his cotton in wagons to market. 
It brought anywhere from four to six cents, which 
could not have helped much with our finances. 

Old Slave Quarters 

The old slave quarters had fallen into a state of 
decay, and many houses had been torn away to re¬ 
build a sufficient number for our use, leaving a row 
of old wells and chimney mounds. 

The slaves had literally played “Turn over the Fruit 
Basket” in their restlessness, so that the old ones 
moved away and we had a remnant of the Hatton and 
McArthur negroes from across the river, and the 
Hammonds, Mannings and others of our side. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 275 


An orphaned colored child reared by Aunt Narcissa 
Frier, and who was her little body servant up to the 
time of her death, lives in Fitzgerald at the present 
time, and is an excellent seamstress and is well edu¬ 
cated. The majority of them were trained to be 
excellent cooks, laundry women and seamstresses. 


276 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


The Ku Klux Klan 

The Knights of the Ku Klux Klan has become a 
permanent, nationwide organization comprising mil¬ 
lions of the best citizens of the nation. 

The Douglas Klan No. 105 Realm of Georgia. 
Konklave assembled pledge and adopt the following 
resolutions as part of the program for the year 1930: 

A firm defense of the Constitution of the United 
States and to assist in creating in the minds of the 
people a finer, better understanding and appreciation 
of what it means to live under the Glorious American 
Flag. 

1. To aid in a strict law enforcement program. 

2. To assist and co-operate with city and county 
officials in the apprehension of bootleggers, rum 
runners and whiskey makers. 

3. To assist and support any movement which will 
furnish and provide healthful and wholesome recrea¬ 
tion for the young people. 

4. To defend, patronize, support and attend all 
Protestant American Churches and Institutions, par¬ 
ticularly the Churches and Public Schools. 

5. To uphold and defend the Holy Bible as it is 
written. 

6. The unwavering devotion to our sacred duty as 
Klansmen. 

“In the name of our fathers, for our country, our 
homes and each other.” 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 277 

The Douglas Cemetery 

The Douglas Cemetery is one of the most beautiful 
in South Georgia. It is located about a mile north of 
the city. It is on high, rolling land. A great deal of 
attention has been given the cemetery by the ladies 
of Douglas. Several years ago the cemetery was 
planted with trees and shrubbery. Some of the trees 
are: Arborvitae, Juniper trees, but the most beautiful 
of all are the tall trees called Italian Cypress. They 
grow forty and fifty feet high. The limbs are very 
short and cling to the body of the tree. They are very 
beautiful and very scarce in South Georgia. The 
Douglas Cemetery has scores of them. 

The ladies of Douglas have an organization, the pur¬ 
pose of which is to keep the cemetery clean and to 
keep everything in order on the grounds. This ceme¬ 
tery is not an old cemetery and is not as large as some 
other cemeteries in Georgia, but is so well kept and 
the tombstones are so beautiful and so varied that they 
lend a charming beauty to the grounds that few other 
cemeteries have. Perhaps it is the only cemetery in 
South Georgia that has a mausoleum. Those contained 
in the mausoleum are : John Marshall Ashley, born July 
31st, 1861, and died October 28th, 1916. John Marshall 
Ashley, Jr., born February 4th, 1915, died October 
24th, 1916. John Wooten Clements, born October 15tli, 
1848, died March 31st, 1925. Isabel McRae Clemens, 
born October 17th, 1851, died August 21st, 1929. John 
R. Slater, died Sept. 7th, 1930, age 38 years. 

Other persons buried in the cemetery are: Joe F. 
Gaskin, Private 328 Inf. 82nd Division (World War), 
died October 13th, 1918. John Tanner, born January 
8th, 1881 ; died March 1st, 1928. Harrison Kirkland, 


278 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

born January 6th, 1866, and died March 19th, 1929. 
Daniel Vickers, born May 28th, 1873, died July 7th, 

1919. J. I. Hatfield, born December 14th, 1861, died 
August 7th, 1920. Oscar Rudolph, born June 13th, 
1861, died May 26th, 1929. Alexander Jardine, born 
September 3rd, 1866, died August 4th, 1913. R. J. 
Cornelius, born 1887, died 1927. Mrs. Frances Over- 
street, born May 6th, 1872, died January 17th, 1919. 
Alice Clemens Terrell, born April 7th, 1873, died 
August 26th, 1917. Boyce Gaskin, wife of W. M. 
Gaskin, born February 23rd, 1848, died October 4th, 
1910. Fannie Lott, wife of Daniel Lott, born February 
28th, 1815, died October 28th, 1897. Daniel Lott, died 
June 19th, 1872, age 77 years. Lucinda Lott, died 
March 17th, 1848, age 51 years. John M. Lott, Sr., 
born 1831, died October 6th, 1907. Mrs. Mary Jane 
Lott, born January 28th, 1837, died December 11th, 
1910. Henry Peterson (Hal), died November 11th, 
1878, 57 years of age. Martha Peterson, died February 
11th, 1905, 76 years of age. Benajah Peterson, 
born April 10th, 1860, died August 1st, 1915. Minnie 
V. Sellers, born August 5th, 1859, died March 10, 
1912. Willis McDonald, born July 8th, 1871, died 
October 15th, 1906. Annie Henson Kirkland, wife of 
V. W. Kirkland, born November 26th, 1859, and died 
September 8th, 1915. Frank L. Sweat, born March 
19th, 1866, and died September 16th, 1915. B. H. 
Tanner, born March 17th, 1861, died December 24th, 

1920. Rosa Ann Tanner, born October 27th, 1867, and 
died December 17th, 1910. Mother Brice was born 
October 2nd, 1846, and died September 18th, 1915. 

David H. Kirkland was one of the first merchants 
in the town of Douglas. The Kirkland store stood 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 279 

about where the Chevrolet place now stands. He was 
born in 1835 and died February 15th, 1865. He was 
the first man who was buried in the Douglas Ceme¬ 
tery. George R. Briggs was born December 29th, 1839, 
died October 12th, 1924. Sallie Peterson, the wife of 
Henry Peterson, died 1891. Rev. C. W. Infinger was 
born August 22nd, 1856, died March 23rd, 1896. 
Tobitha T. Infinger was born December 27th, 1849, 
died January 1st, 1923. R. G. Kirkland was born 
October 13th, 1860, died March 22nd, 1920. John 
McLean was born January 5th, 1860, and died May 
15th, 1909. Judge Calvin A. Ward was born December 
20th, 1857, and died April 18th, 1926. Emma J. Ward 
was born February 18th, 1866, and died March 19th, 
1921. Desdemonia Ward was born 1847, died May 3rd, 
1902. 

Dr. Henry C. Whelcliel, born in Hall County, Geor¬ 
gia, in 1861, and died 1929. Maggie F. Goodyear, 
born April 15th, 1862, and died September 10th, 1926. 
Duncan S. Goodyear, born November 1st, 1857, died 
January 17th, 1929. Thomas Shelton Deen, born Sep¬ 
tember 11th, 1855, died October 11th, 1901. Mary E. 
Deen, wife of T. S. Deen, born January 30th, 1856, 
died August 12th, 1918. Thomas S. Price, born 1870, 
died 1927. Lula Drew Price, born 1879, died 1927. 
Captain John W. Price, born February 31st, 1839, died 
March 5th, 1922. Sarah A. Ward, born May 3rd, 1834, 
died October 26th, 1918. Widow of John F. Ward, 
Company C, 50th Georgia. “Who now sleeps in an 
unknown grave near Fredericksburg, Virginia.” A 
beautiful Confederate flag is carved on the slab cover¬ 
ing this grave. Annie Canova Ward was born June 
4th, 1867, died January 29th, 1926. 


280 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

The Public Schools 

In the early days 
of Coffee County and 
before the War Be¬ 
tween the States, 
there were very few 
and very poor 
schools. Most of the 
teaching was done 
by a class of tran¬ 
sient teachers whose 
learning was limited 
to the rudiments of 
the three R’s—Read¬ 
ing, ’Riting and 
’Rithmetic—a n d 
whose powers of dis¬ 
cipline lay largely in their ability to wield the rod. 
During the four years of the war, practically no 
schools were operated. The period of reconstruction 
witnessed little change for the better. With the 
adoption of the State Constitution in 1877 provisions 
were made for a system of common schools for giving 
instruction in the elementary branches of an English 
education to be paid for through state appropriations 
made and authorized by the Legislature. 

Gradually the school spirit in Coffee County began 
to rise. J. Monroe Wilcox, a local Methodist minister, 
a saintly man, and a progressive citizen, was elected 
County School Commissioner by the newly constituted 
County Board of Education. 

The meager state income being the only means of 




"Ward’s History of Coffee County 281 

public support, the schools established were taught 
in country churches and in little log buildings erected 
through community co-operation. The school term was 
limited to three months, taught largely through the 
summer. Few teachers were paid more than twenty- 
five dollars per month. The Commissioner and Board 
of Education paid off annually, usually the first Mon¬ 
day in January. 

Following the administration of Commissioner Wil¬ 
cox, W. B. Tarrent succeeded to the office, followed by 
W. H. Love, Malcom Meeks, John Fussell, Jeff Kirk¬ 
land, Melvin Tanner, J. H. Williams, J. G. Floyd, H. 
C. Roberts, and again Melvin Tanner, the present 
incumbent. 

In the year 1900, Coffee, then the largest in area, 
1123 square miles, of any county in the state, had 
eighty white schools and forty colored. The income 
for the support of this large number aggregated ap¬ 
proximately $8,000.00. Five years later, 1905, the 
number of schools, white and colored, had been re¬ 
duced to about eighty. The income by this time had 
grown to $12,113.41, all derived from the state. 

About the year 1900 the city of Douglas, through 
Legislative Act, established an independent, or local 
system. 

Broxton and Nicholls also established local systems 
which operated as independent units until 1927, when 
Broxton by vote of its citizens came back into the 
County School System. In 1929 Nicholls followed suit. 
Douglas continues to operate as an independent 
system. 

Until 1911, the county schools had no income other 
than the state appropriation. In this year the citizens 


282 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 


voted to levy a countywide school tax not exceeding 
five mills, the constitutional limit under what was 
then known as the McMichael Act. Up to this time 
no effort had been made to give high school instruction 
in the schools comprising the County System. 

Through consolidation there are now five local tax 
districts in the county, viz: Ambrose, Broxton, 
Nicholls, Pridgen, and West Green. There are also 
two county line units—Lax and Temperance—that 
have voted local district tax. Nicholls District main¬ 
tains a Senior High School on the state accredited list. 
The other local tax districts are maintaining Junior 
High Schools operating eight months. 

More than four hundred pupils are enrolled in the 
high school departments. The income from all sources 
including district tax for school year 1929-30 aggre¬ 
gated approximately $65,000.00. 


The public school system of Georgia and Coffee 
County was based on the Constitution of 1877. Before 
that time the schools were operated by the parents 
of the pupils. All sorts of books were used, some of 
which are as follows: “Webster’s Blue Back Spelling 
Book,” was used in all the schools. It was a great 
book. Full of information of all sorts. The principles 
of spelling and reading were taught in this book; in 
fact, it was a standard spelling book in the schools of 
that day. Among other books was “Smith’s Arith¬ 
metic,” “Smith’s Grammar,” “McGuffie’s Readers,” 
etc. 



Ward’s History of Coffee County 283 

A slate and a pencil were used for working math¬ 
ematics. Copies set by the teacher and sometimes 
Copy Books for writing were used. A black board was 
seldom seen in a school room. The main work in the 
school was to teach the three R’s, Reading, ’Riting 
and ’Ritlimetic. The three R’s have now developed 
into “Rah, Rah, Rah.” Another book in use at that 
time was the Confederate Speller. It was after the 
order of the Blue Back Speller, but not as large a book. 
Much of the reading matter was quotations from 
‘ ‘ Poor Richard. ’ ’ I will give you a sample as I remem¬ 
ber it: 

“He that will steal an egg will steal an ox.” 

“Never buy a thing because it is cheap.” 

“Pride goes before a fall.” 

“A rolling stone never gathers any moss.” 

“Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, 
wealthy and wise.” 

“When Adam was created, 

He dwelt in Eden’s shade 
As Moses has related, 

Ten thousand times ten thousand 
Creatures swarmed around, 

Before any bride was made, 

Or any Mate was found.” 

“God has a thousand musicians on every hill and 
ten thousand in every valley.” 


284 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


Teachers Coffee County Public Schools, 

1930-31 


Ambrose School 

Mr. W. M. Melton, Mr. Thomas Gregory, Miss Alma 
Watson, Miss Ruby Smith, Miss Polly Fletcher, Miss 
Julia Harper, Miss Lydia Vickers, Miss Maxie Mixon, 
Miss Gussie Mixon. 


Broxton School 

Mr. D. Foster, Mr. J. W. McCallum, Miss Beulah 
Harden, Mrs. E. J. Newbern, Miss Hanna Neal Jones, 
Miss Lucille Keene, Miss Mattie Talley, Miss Zella 
Barwick, Mrs. Rubye Brown, Miss Frances Cason, Miss 
Irma Willis, Miss Gladys Kilpatrick, Miss Emma 
Blount, Mrs. J. W. McCallum, Miss Gladys DuBose. 

Nichnlls School 

Mr. V. E. Glenn, Mr. Clement Carton, Miss Marion 
Laine, Mr. E. M. Thompson, Miss Beatrice Meeks, Miss 
Miriam Anderson, Miss Alice Parker, Mrs. Stanley 
Martin, Miss Maude Griswold, Miss Rita Taylor, Mrs. 
A. P. Meeks, Mr. E. D. Gilliard. 

West Green School 

Mr. J. 0. Wingard, Mr. Jim Tom Bush, Mrs. Jim 
Tom Busli, Miss Mildred G. Carmichael, Miss Elvira 
Jackson, Miss Erma Cross, Mrs. J. 0. Wingard, Mrs. 
L. L. Denton. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 285 

Pridgen School 

Mr. E. M. Horne, Miss Lucille Lewis, Miss Arloa 
Pridgen, Miss Blanche England. 

Rocky Creek School 

Mrs. W. C. Smith. 

Rocky Pond School 

Mr. E. C. Wideman, Mrs. W. J. Cavenaugh, Miss 
Rubye Burkett. 

New Forest School 

Mr. M. B. Allman, Miss Lucille Douglas, Miss 
Johnnie Byrd. 

Sears School 

Mr. Ira Moore, Mrs. Myrtle Harrell Gillis. 

Stokesville School 

Mrs. Estelle Robinette, Miss Vera Gillis, Miss Estelle 
Gillis. 

Ward School 

Mrs. W. R. Vickers, Mr. Felder Vickers, Miss Ger¬ 
trude Kirkland. 

Vickers School 

Mrs. D. P. McKay, Miss Beatrice Vinson. 

Vickers Chapel 

Mrs. Dorris Brown, Miss Bonnie Sumner. 


286 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

St. Ilia School 

Miss Lillian Tanner, Miss Gladys Griffis. 

Salem School 

Mrs. Fisher Gaskin, Miss Annie Clough, Miss 
Myrtice Griffis. 

Sunny Side School 

Mrs. J. S. Wilkerson, Miss Vida Lou Kight. 

McClelland School 

Mr. Pittman Vickers, Miss Bessie Butler. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 287 


Douglas Public School Teachers 

High School 

Mr. J. L. Fortney, Supt.; Mr. F. M. Chalker, Prin.; 
Mr. J. A. Pulley, Coach; Miss Esther Strong, Super¬ 
visor ; Miss Elizabeth Neal, Supervisor, Public School 
Music; Miss Miriam Edwards, Teacher of Expression; 
Miss Vivian Smith, Teacher of Piano; Miss Elizabeth 
Voigt, Librarian; Miss Agnes Saunders, Dom. Science; 
Miss Mary Stanford, Latin; Miss Marion Code, His¬ 
tory; Miss Willie Pearl Davis, French; Miss Agnes 
McNair, Math. 

Elementary 

Miss Marion DuBose, Miss Myrtle Jackson, Mrs. 
Esther Clements, Miss Melva Coffee, Mrs. Milton Cole, 



Miss Fannie Mae Norman, Miss Blanche Thornton, 
Mrs. G. L. Spivey, Miss Olive Bogers. 


Primary 

Mrs. Melvin Tanner, Miss Sybil Shelnutt, Miss 
Corinne Jackson, Miss Nora LIuss, Miss Lola Mae Mc¬ 
Lean, Miss Lucy Hall, Miss Carolyn Hall, Miss Eliza¬ 
beth Brown. 






288 Ward’s History of Coffee County 



The South Georgia State College was formerly the 
Eleventh District Agricultural and Mechanical School. 
In 1906 the General Assembly passed an act establish¬ 
ing an Agricultural and Mechanical School in each of 
the eleven congressional districts. Douglas won the 
school for the eleventh district by offering fifty-two 
thousand dollars, three hundred acres of land, and 
water and lights for a term of ten years. 

The first year’s work began in the fall of 1907. Three 
splendid buildings were ready for the students and 
nearly every department had good equipment. The 
school continued to do general high school work, in¬ 
cluding Agriculture and Mechanical Arts and Home 
Economics, until the summer of 1927, at which time 
the General Assembly passed an Act creating the 
South Georgia Junior State College, the new college 
absorbing all of the property including buildings, 
equipment and grounds, of the Eleventh District A. 
& M. School. The new charter permitted the South 
Georgia Junior State College to do two years of college 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 289 


work and continue its high school work so long as the 
Board of Trustees and Faculty deemed it wise to do so. 
In 1929 the General Assembly changed the name of 
the college by dropping the word “Junior.’’ It is 
now the South Georgia State College. 

The South Georgia State College offers freshman 
and sophomore work in courses leading to the follow¬ 
ing degrees: Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, 
Bachelor of Education, Bachelor of Music. 

Charles W. Davis was the first principal, serving 
from 1907 to 1914. J. W. Powell from 1914 to 1917, 
C. W. Fraser from 1917 to 1918, L. G. Procter, 1918- 
19, J. M. Thrash from 1919 to 1927, at which time the 
charter was changed, creating a college, J. M. Thrash 
was elected president, serving to date. 

The Faculty 1930-31 

J. M. Thrash, President, Georgia School of Tech¬ 
nology; special work Mercer University. 

C. C. Childs, B.S., M.A., Dean, History and Social 
Sciences, Mercer University. 

T. A. Clower, A.B., M.A., Education, University of 
Georgia, Emory University. 

C. E. Lancaster, B.S.C., M.A., English, Mercer Uni¬ 
versity. 

C. A. Johnson, B.S., Science, University of Georgia. 

R. C. Childs, A.B., M.A., French, Spanish, Louisiana 
State University, Georgia, Peabody College for Teach¬ 
ers, Nashville, Tenn. 

Charles A. Reed A.B., M.S., Physics and Mathematics, 
University of Oklahoma. 


290 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

J. H. Breedlove, L.L, History, Science, Georgia, 
Peabody College for Teachers, Iowa State College of 
Agriculture. 

H. P. Johnson, B.S.C., Athletic Coach, Instructor in 
Mathematics, University of Georgia. 

Miss Mary T. Collins, A.B., Instructor in English, 
Georgia State College for Women, Milledgeville. 

Miss Jimmy Carmack, Home Economics, Girls’ Dis¬ 
ciplinarian, Georgia State College for Women, Val¬ 
dosta, Graduate Student University of Georgia; Mer¬ 
cer University, Georgia, Peabody College. 

Miss Lucile Wheeler, Secretary and Registrar, Geor¬ 
gia State College for Women. 

Miss Ethel Wilkerson, Piano, Voice and Expression, 
Shorter College, New York School of Music, Bush Con¬ 
servatory of Chicago. 

W. P. Richey, Mechanic Arts, Superintendent of 
Boys’ Dormitory, South Georgia Junior State College, 
South Georgia A. & M. College. 

Mrs. B. J. Moye, Superintendent of Dining Hall, 
Warthen College. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 291 



Georgia Normal Business College 


The Georgia Normal College and Business Institute 
came into being at Abbeville in 1897 with Prof. A. A. 
Kuhl and Prof. W. A. Little its head. 

It was operated there for about ten years, hundreds 
of students graduating in shorthand, bookkeeping, 
teachers’ courses and business training courses. Doug¬ 
las at that time was little more than a village, but far- 
seeing citizens sought Little and Kuhl and persuaded 
them to come to Douglas. Within five years from the 
date of their coming to Douglas in 1908, the popula¬ 
tion trebled. Conservative estimates reveal that 
5,500 students have graduated from the college since 
it came to this city. Further interesting information 
in connection with the development of both the school 
and the city,%reveals that approximately $1,250,000 has 
been expended by students attending the school. The 














292 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

thirty-two years of activity have presented to the 
business world in practically every state of the Union 
and Cuba, graduates that are now leaders in the busi¬ 
ness world. Many of the G. N. B. C. have gained places 
prominent in political and financial circles as well as 
high places in the religious world. 

For the past several years, Prof, and Mrs. A. A. 
Kuhl have operated the institution since Mr. Little 
severed his connection to accept the chair of English at 
the University of Florida. 

The new home will be ready for occupancy with the 
fall term in 1930, and will be more spacious and suited 
to the needs and purposes of the school. At present 
equipment is owned that invoices approximately $30,- 
000. There is not a commercial school in the State that 
has enjoyed greater success, or done more effective 
work. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 293 


Coffee County, 1 930 

Size, Altitude—Longitude and Latitude— 
Population about 20,000. 

Coffee County, Georgia, January 1, 1930, consists of 
six hundred thirty-two square miles of territory sit¬ 
uated about ninety miles west of the Atlantic Ocean, is 
about three hundred feet above sea level. Its latitude 
is 31° 30", longitude 82° 83". Population about 20,000 
About 1800 when this section of the country was 
first settled it had the appearance of a beautiful pine 
park with many streams of water. With beautiful 
hills and valleys, with hammocks on the east side of 
nearly all the large streams. There was plenty of game 
here, birds, turkeys and deer and the streams had 
plenty of fish. It will be observed that the hammocks 
and sand ridges are located on the east side of all the 
large streams. It is said by those who profess to know 
that when the waters of this country were flowing into 
the Atlantic Ocean the waters moved east and washed 
the sands into the streams from the west side over on 
the east side and that is why great banks of sand, 
covered with black jack oaks grow on the east side of 
the streams. You will further observe that the east 
side of the stream contains many springs. This is 
especially true of the Seventeen-Mile Creek. The reason 
for this is said to be when the rain falls on the sand 
hill on the east side of the stream it sinks down into 
the clay some ten or twenty feet and then seeps down 
to the stream and bursts out into a spring which con¬ 
tains the best and purest water in the world. It lias 
been strained through a mile and more of sand. Gas- 


294 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


kin Springs on the east side of the Seventeen-Mile 
Creek, two miles from Douglas, is a good illustration 
of what is here stated. 

About the year 1800 there was not a decent road or 
bridge in all the territory now occupied by Coffee 
County. Later on the Blackshear Road and the Colum¬ 
bus Road were “cut out” but were never graded nor 
bridges built. The only road which tradition has 
brought to our notice is a single pathway that led from 
old man Daniel Lott’s home, near where John Peterson 
now lives to the old Ward home where Mr. B. W. 
Tanner now lives. There was not a public road any¬ 
where to any place in this territory. The first bridge 
in Coffee County was built many years after the civil 
war. 

In addition to the wildwoods and a few pioneer 
citizens we had the Creek Indians and as they owned 
this country and lived here when we came here, we have 
thought it proper to give a somewhat extended write¬ 
up of the Creek Indians. It seems that no real history 
of the Creek Indians has ever been written—nothing 
describing their personal appearance, their habits of 
life, nor their real economic lives as they once lived 
in Coffee County. As a rule the Indian commissioners 
in their reports to the Government, consisted of some 
Medicine Men or green corn dance or some other mat¬ 
ter that did not make a history of the Creek Indians. 

A short biography of Billy Bow-Legs, the celebrated 
Seminole Indian Chief of Florida will appear in another 
place. 

The information upon which the story of the Creek 
Indians is written has been obtained from many sources. 
From the reports made to the Government by Indian 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 295 


Commissioners. Drake’s History of American Indians 
and the “Seminoles” of Florida written by Mrs. Wil¬ 
son of Kissimmee, Florida. I am also indebted to Mr. 
George W. Powers who lived in Florida in 1846 and 
many years after that time ; he had a personal acquaint¬ 
ance with Billy Bow-Legs. Much has been learned 
from tradition about the Creek Indians who lived in 
this section. They were friendly and were good mixers 
with the Pioneers of this section of the country. 

Coffee County has several varieties of native trees. 
Also many native birds, native fish, and native snakes. 
Each of these items is more fully discussed in spearate 
articles in this book. And it may be truly said that 
Coffee County is well watered. It is bound on the 
north by the Ocmulgee River. The Satilla River runs 
all the way through the southern section of the county. 
The Seventeen-Mile Creek is a large creek with numer¬ 
ous runs and lakes all through it. It rises in the 
northwestern part of the county and runs southeast 
entirely through the county. 

There are several smaller streams throughout the 
county. Otter Creek and Tiger Creek are in the cen¬ 
tral eastern part of the county and flow south into 
Seventeen-Mile Creek. In addition to these streams 
there are many other smaller streams such as gullies, 
branches, spring heads, etc. Many of the smaller 
streams never go dry. There are ever-running 
springs and so it can be truly said that Coffee County 
is well watered. In Pioneer days there were thousands 
of fish in these creeks and streams, but sad to say, 
poison, dynamite, seines, traps, etc., have destroyed 
nearly all the fish in small streams, and in like manner 
many of the birds have been destroyed by high-powered 


296 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

shot guns and bird dogs. Forest fires have greatly 
injured the trees and all growing plants in the wild 
woods; but it is worthy of note, that in two or three 
years an abundance of fish will raise in the streams, 
and when fire is kept out of the woods, pine trees come 
back rapidly and when the hunter gives the birds a 
chance, it only requires a few years to fill the woods 
again with quail and other birds. The good Lord 
seems to be on the giving hand and when we destroy 
one gift he sends another and so we find ourselves 
always in “God’s Country in Coffee County.” 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 297 


Douglas, the Capital City of Coffee 
County 



The Legislature of 
Georgia created Cof¬ 
fee County in 1854. 

Mr. James Pearson 
gave the county fifty 
acres of land on 
which to build the 
public buildings for 
the county. This 
fifty-acre tract of 
land was surveyed 
into lots and blocks. 

The court house was 
not built until 1858. 

The lumber for 
building the court house was sawed at a mill on 
the Ocmulgee River. The lumber was floated down 
the river to Barrows Bluff and then hauled out to 
Douglas with ox teams. The court house was located 
back of the Overstreet building. The offices for the 
county officials were located on the second floor of 
the auditorium where the cases were tried on the first 
floor. It is said that Coursey Cato nailed the last 
shingle on the court house when it was covered and 
that he stood on his head as a signal that the building 


Court House, Douglas, Georgia 


was finished. 


Several jail houses have been built in Douglas. The 
first jail was a brick building and stood on the corner 
where the Tanner brick residence now stands. The 


298 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

brick out of which the building was built was a very 
poor grade and in a year or two the building fell down. 
The next jail that was built was located about where 
the Coca-Cola building now stands and was built of 
hewn logs. The first story had no doors. The prisoner 
was taken upstairs and the ladder let down from the 
upper floor and the prisoner went down the ladder to 
his quarters in the jail below. When the ladder was 
taken- up the prisoner was safely in jail. The prisoner 
was taken out in the same manner. The last jail is 
the building that you now see on the court house 
square. It has stood there more than thirty years and 
two men have been hanged within its walls. 

The next building in Douglas was built for a hotel 
and boarding house. It was built of logs and was 
situated on the lot where the Peterson home now 
stands. The building was constructed by J. K. Hil¬ 
liard, who came from Holmesville, Georgia. The log 
hotel was a big success and was the only hotel in 
Douglas for many, many years. 

The first store house built in Douglas was occupied 
by Ive Kirkland. It was located near where the 
Chevrolet building now stands. The Spivey home and 
store stood where the court house now stands. He had 
a big family of girls and boys. The next store house 
was a small wooden building with a back room and a 
side room and stood where the Union Bank building 
now stands. That building was occupied by Dr. 
Barber as an office and drug store and post office. 

From time to time other buildings were constructed 
and other little store houses were scattered around. The 
mail was brought here on horse back from Stockton, 
Georgia, about twice a week. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 299 

There was a race track leading from about where 
the court house now stands down the road by the 
side of a fence and ended about where the A. B. & C. 
depot now stands. We had some wonderful races on 
that track by some wonderful horses by some won¬ 
derful riders. It often happened that the worse 
looking horse won the race. 

All the matters and things written above transpired 
before the Civil War. When the war came on Douglas 
went to pieces. There was nothing here to make a 
town and no town was made. 

When the war was over and the soldiers returned 
home, Douglas was only a wide place in the road. It 
is said a troop of Yankees rode several days coming 
to Douglas, Georgia. When they reached here, it is said 
they walked out in the middle of the streets and 
looked north and east and south and west, and not 
a man was in sight, and they said in wonder and 
astonishment, “Is this Douglas?” “Are you sure this 
is Douglas?” 

The old court house and an acre of land on which 
it stood was sold to B. Peterson and a new court house 
was built of wood where the present court house now 
stands. The old court house was used as a school 
house, as a church house, for shows, for political 
meetings, and for everything else that a house was 
needed for in Douglas. 1 might add also that the goats 
had possession of it a long time. 

For many years after the war Douglas was only a 
little country hamlet. There was nothing here except 
big court twice a year. All the business that Douglas 
should have had went to Hazlehurst and to Pearson. 
We had no railroads and nothing to build up the town. 


300 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

The first train came to Douglas from McDonalds 
Mill, now Axson, about 1895. The next train that 
came to Douglas was the Waycross Air Line, a small 
railroad built by the Southern Pine Company from 
Nicholls up to Douglas in 1898. In a short time we 
had railroads to Fitzgerald and to Broxton. These 
roads have now grown into the great railroad systems 
of the A. B. & C. R. R. and the Georgia and Florida 
Railroad. 

With the coming of the railroads various enterprises 
came to Douglas. The Ashley-Price Lumber Company, 
the Agricultural School, G. & F. R. R. shops, and the 
Georgia Normal Business College. 

The first brick building in Douglas was a school 
building. It was built in 1896. The railroad was ex¬ 
tended from Downing to Douglas primarily for the 
purpose of hauling the brick to build the middle build¬ 
ing on the campus in Douglas. Professor John R. 
Overman taught the first school in the new building. 
The next building was a large wooden building with 
auditorium upstairs and is still standing on the south¬ 
west corner of the campus. The money for that was 
one thousand dollars paid by Lucius Guthrey for per¬ 
mission to sell liquor in Douglas. 

Eighteen hundred and ninety-eight the court house 
was burned, and in 1900 the present brick court house 
was built. 

With the coming of the many enterprises mentioned 
above, Douglas put on a new life. Water and lights 
were installed. Later on the streets of the city were 
paved. Side walks were laid along the principal streets 
of the city. The Baptist and Methodist churches were 
built. And from time to time improvements have 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 301 

been made in the business section of the city and also 
in the residential section. 

Douglas has one of the most beautiful cemeteries 
in South Georgia. The place is well kept and has 
many beautiful trees and shrubbery of all kinds. 
There are many very expensive tombstones. Among 
some of the very nice monuments are those of J. M. 
Ashley, Frank Sweat, B. Peterson, and others. At this 
writing, 1930, Douglas is a beautiful city of 5,000 in¬ 
habitants, with all the advantages of a real city and 
the pleasures of a country town. The water for the 
city is furnished by an artesian well which affords an 
abundance of pure, fresh water. Douglas is a good 
city in which to live and no one who lives here has 
ever been ashamed to say, “My home is in Douglas, 
Georgia/’ 


302 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

Towns in Coffee County 

Ambrose 

The town of Ambrose, in Coffee County, was started 
in 1899. Soon after the A. B. & A. Railroad had 
reached that place, Dennis Vickers and J. J. Phillips 
gave the land on which to build the town. H. L. 
Vickers put up a store and Dr. Moorman built a drug 
store. Soon afterwards H. L. Vickers built a brick 
building and ran a general merchandise store. Dennis 
Vickers built a gin, and other enterprises came in 
from time to time. At the present time Mr. T. J. 
Holland is manufacturing guano in Ambrose. The 
Seaboard Farms have their warehouses at Ambrose 
and make that their shipping point to north and west. 
Mr. H. B. Macklin, who manages these truck farms, 
is now trying an experiment by transporting the 
products of his farm to New York and other large 
cities with trucks. He has eighteen trucks which go 
from South Georgia points to northern points in 
thirty-six hours. 

In 1927 the Ambrose School District voted for bonds 
to build a school building and the building has been 
completed and is a credit to Ambrose and to Coffee 
County. In 1915 the Christian Church was built at 
Ambrose. Mr. T. J. Holland is one of the leaders of 
that denomination at Ambrose. 

October 1st, 1930, the Georgia Power Company be¬ 
gan to furnish power for Ambrose and they now have 
lights. The town has about five hundred people and is 


Ward’s Htstory of Coffee County 303 


in a good farming section and will grow as the 
country grows. 

Ambrose is about twelve miles west of Douglas on 
the A. B. & C. Railroad. 

Broxton 



High School, Broxton, Georgia 


Broxton was 
named after Broxton 
Creek near by. The 
tract of land where 
Broxton is now sit¬ 
uated was owned 
many years ago by 
John Passmore. 

Mr. Jesse Lott 
bought the entire 
tract of land and 
built a log cabin on 
what is now the cen¬ 
ter of the town. He 
and his wife moved there, later replacing the cabin 
by a large two-story dwelling. 

Broxton was known first as Gully Branch. The 
mail was carried on horseback from Pearson on Tues¬ 
day of each week by a crippled Confederate soldier 
named Bryant Douglas. 

Mr. Jesse Lott was first postmaster. Next Mr. 
Thomas Young. Following him was Mr. B. R. Leg¬ 
gett, who was postmaster twenty years, and is now 
serving in the capacity of assistant postmaster. Now 
Miss Mae Gibbs is postmistress. 

Mr. Jesse Lott, Mr. Thomas Young and Mr. B. R. 
Leggett are the outstanding men who figured in the 




304 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

founding of Broxton and making it a town worthy to 
live in. 

Mr. Leggett came here from Jesup and was the third 
man to build a home here. For two years he was in 
the mercantile business. In 1902 he was appointed 
railroad agent of Georgia and Florida, which position 
he held three years, when he was appointed post¬ 
master. 

Dr. Ricketson, deceased, was born and reared here 
and was once a Representative of Coffee County. 

J. L. Palmer, deceased, was first mayor. 

The Methodist Church, named “Monroe Chapel” 
after the sainted Rev. J. M. Wilcox, is the oldest 
church in the town, built in 1890. 

The Baptist Church (as well as can be learned) was 
organized in 1902. 

From a little section of wildwood Broxton has 
grown to a fine town with its three churches, Meth¬ 
odist Church, Baptist, and Primitive Baptist, its con¬ 
solidated schools, twenty-four hour service electric 
lights, water, excellent mail service, good banking 
system. 

Broxton also has the credit of having one of the 
first newspapers in the county. The organ known as 
the Broxton Journal was printed in 1905, and also has 
possibly had some part in telling to outsiders the 
advantages to be gained by living in Broxton. One 
year prior to that, Broxton *s first public school was 
erected. Today that institution stands as one of the 
foremost in the county. It is of the consolidated 
variety and offers to children of the territory sur¬ 
rounding the city an education on par with that to 
be secured in larger municipalities. 


Ward’s History or Coffee County 305 


Outstanding as the oldest active civic body in 
Broxton is the Womans Club, an organization founded 
in 1917 by twelve women of the community who had 
determined that steps should be taken to place the 
city in its rightful place as one of the leading sections 
of Coffee County. 

Mrs. Ben Poer was named president and Mrs. John 
Lewis and Mrs. E. L. Bledsoe were named Secretary 
and Treasurer respectively. Soon after this organ¬ 
ization the Womans Club became connected with the 
State Federation. 


Schools of Broxton 

Many years ago, after Pioneers had first settled in 
the city now known as Broxton, children of this sec¬ 
tion went to a little wooden school house each morning 
to receive the rudiments of reading, writing, and 
arithmetic. 

No longer do pupils walk many miles to school. 
Today students of Broxton and the section surround¬ 
ing the town are carried to a modern building in 
busses built for that purpose. Their school building 
is an architectural design followed in larger cities 
and the courses offered are on par with the curriculums 
of greater institutions. 

The thirteen rooms of the two schools afford ample 
accommodations for the 480 pupils enrolled, and the 
fourteen teachers are well qualified to instruct in the 
most modern subjects. Probably outstanding among 
the courses offered in addition to the usual ones re¬ 
quired in all schools is a home economics class for 
girls and a pig club for the boys. 


306 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


A library of 500 volumes, which was installed by 
the Broxton women, is one of the leading assets of the 
school and is used by the students. 


The town of 
Nicholls, Georgia, is 
situated on the A. B. 
& C. Railroad, 
twelve miles east of 
Douglas. The town 
was settled by the 
Southern Pine Com¬ 
pany in 1895. The 
post office was 
named for Captain 
John C. Nicholls, 
who represented this district in Congress for several 
years. The first post office to bear the name of 
Nicholls was located at old man Dan Lott’s country 
store, about four miles north of Nicholls. This store 
was established about 1869, and for many years the 
post office at Hazlehurst served all that section of 
Coffee County near the Lott store. When the A. B. 
& C. Railroad, then the Way cross Air Line Railroad, 
was built from Waycross to Nicholls, 1895, the post 
office was established at Nicholls. 

The first school in Nicholls was organized in 1895 
and was a one-teacher school. Mr. Ingram was the 
first teacher, and later was a Methodist minister. At 
one time the school was operated in a large two-story 
building located near the site of the L. B. Cole resi- 


Nicholls 



Public School, Nicholls, Georgia 



Ward’s History of Coffee County 307 

dence. In 1909 bonds were voted and the present 
brick school building was built. The town is yet in 
need of better school facilities. The next big project 
will be the erection of a modern school plant. With 
the building of the schoolhouse came the churches. 
First the Missionary Baptist Church was organized 
by Rev. M. A. Grace. The building was located near 
the railroad, near where the Cason home is now lo¬ 
cated. The Union Missionary Baptist Church was 
organized by Rev. Gilford Lastinger about a mile east 
of Nicholls. About the year 1920, while Rev. H. M. 
Meeks was pastor of both these churches, they united 
into one church and built a church house in Nicholls. 
The Baptist Church has a membership of about three 
hundred and fifty. 

The history of the Methodist Church in Nicholls 
dates back to about 1870. Rev. Daniel Morrison, of 
sainted memory, and Rev. W. A. McDonald were 
Pioneers in Methodism in this section. The church 
was situated where the Meeks cemetery is now located, 
about a mile east of Nicholls. Later the church was 
located in Nicholls, near the Edinfield home, where 
the Methodists worshiped for many years. The present 
Methodist Church was built in 1910. 

The Primitive Baptist Church was organized by 
Elder Richard Bennett, a pioneer preacher of his 
faith. It is situated about two miles northwest of 
Nicholls. And Elim Church is now one of the strongest 
Primitive Baptist Churches in Coffee County. 

The telephone system was installed about the year 
1904. The first brick building built in Nicholls was 
constructed in the year 1908 and was occupied by 
W. M. Robinowitz as a general store. 


308 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

The tobacco business in Coffee County had its origin 
on a farm two miles south of Nicholls which was oc¬ 
cupied and cultivated by S. J. Brown. The farm is 
now known as the McGee farm. Nicholls also had 
one of the first tobacco warehouses in Coffee County. 
It is said that the territory adjacent to Nicholls pro¬ 
duces the best grade of tobacco in Coffee County. 

While the Southern Pine Company operated a saw 
mill in Nicholls, all sorts of people from everywhere 
lived in Nicholls. But when the mill moved, the town 
was then occupied by the pioneer families of Coffee 
County. The pioneer families are: Meeks, Halls, 
Waters, Bagleys, Vinsons, Cannons, Kirklands, Powers, 
Davis, Testons, Lewis, Tanners, and Taylprs. 

The population of the town is about a thousand 
people. 

Nicholls is lighted by the Georgia Power Company. 

West Green 

About the year 1900 The Southern Pine Lumber 
Company extended its tramroad south from Hazle- 
hurst twenty miles. One branch extending toward 
Nicholls, the other leading west to Broxton. And the 
junction was known to the earlier settlers as “The 
Twenty.” “The Twenty” at that time boasted of 
one residence, a shanty occupied by an old slavery 
darky known as “Mammy.” In a short time the 
J. P. Courthouse, as it now stands, was erected with 
B. T. Burkett presiding J. P. 

The first enterprise of “The Twenty” was “.The 
Boyd Bird Cross Tie Company,” who operated a com¬ 
missary, which was the first store. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 309 

About six or seven years later the railroad changed 
hands and the name was known as the D. A. and G. 
“The Twenty” becoming Garrant. J. J. Ward built 
a house with living quarters on one side and a room 
on the other side was used as the first depot. In the 
center room the first general store was operated by 
J. J. Ward. T. W. Thompson was the first agent and 
operator at the railroad. About a year later the rail¬ 
road became the Georgia and Florida. A new depot 
was built, with section houses. 

After this the people became optimistic, and G. W. 
and W. L. Lott formed a real estate company, build¬ 
ing several houses and laying off streets. They also 
built a modern gin and grist mill which was operated 
by J. L. Denton, who was one of the pioneer citizens. 

The second mercantile business was that of W. B. 
Courson and son, W. R. Courson. 

The next enterprise of importance was a saw mill 
owned and operated by N. S. Boyd, which later became 
“The Garrant Lumber Co.” T. J. Dickey, Lon Dickey 
of Fitzgerald, and N. S. Boyd formed the company. 
About the same time L. D. Long and J. C. Brewer of 
Douglas operated a saw mill. 

The first organization to erect a building here was 
the K. of P., who built a two-story building. The 
upper story of which was used for “Castle Hall” by 
the organization. It was also used for schools and 
church purposes. The lower floor was used for a drug 
store, which was operated by R. E. Darnell, who later 
sold out to Dr. W. L. Hall and was the first physician 
the village had. 


310 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

G. W. Lott gave ten acres of land for school pur¬ 
poses and upon this site a two-story building was 
erected. 

A short time later G. W. Lott sold practically his 
entire real estate possessions to The South Georgia 
Farm Company, who are the present owners. It was 
through their influence a number of citizens were 
brought here from South Carolina, Tennessee, and 
other states. About this time the town was incor¬ 
porated, and the name was changed to West Green, 
honoring a member of the company whose name was 
Westbrook. Mr. John A. Cromartie of Hazlehurst was 
employed by the above company to look after their 
interests. He moved his family here and they meant 
a great deal to the social, civic and religious life of 
the town. 

In 1915 the Baptist and Methodist churches were 
erected, with Rev. S. G. Taylor pastor of the Baptist 
Church. In 1921 the Free Will Baptist Church was 
built, through the influence of Rev. C. C. Coursey of 
Baxley, who became its first pastor. 

As time passed and the people progressed and be¬ 
came more aggressive they realized their institute of 
learning was inadequate to the needs of the time, and 
in 1925, through the efforts of J. H. Green, a senti¬ 
ment was erected to vote bonds and a modern building 
was erected with ten class rooms, domestic science 
department, and an auditorium with seating capacity 
of 500. 

About 1912 B. B. Jackson installed a modern tele¬ 
phone exchange, which was a great means towards the 
development of a modern town. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 311 


The Turpentine Industry 

By Mrs. Lon Dickey 

The Pine Tree is the most valuable asset that Coffee 
County ever had. Perhaps the cotton crop comes next. 
There was not a turpentine still in Coffee County till 
after 1870. Among the first turpentine stills operated 
in Coffee County was operated by McNeil and McNeil. 
The still was located at Rock Falls, near the northern 
part of Coffee County. Their shipping point was Bare 
Lake on the Ocmulgee River. Soon after this business 
began Mr. William C. Vereen from Cheraw, S. C., 
joined the firm. Mr. Vereen located his still near the 
town of West Green. He secured leases on thousands 
and thousands of acres. In 1890 Mr. Vereen moved 
to Colquitt County and has become a very prominent, 
wealthy citizen of that county. However he was not 
forgotten in Coffee County by his friends here. A 
short time ago in speaking of Coffee County, he says: 
“I spent four very happy years in Coffee County and 
formed a number of friendships among the good 
people of that county, among them were John M. Lott, 
J. S. Lott, Mr. Samp Smith, Daniel Peterson, and 
others. I recall Rev. J. M. Wilcox, who lived near our 
place, as one of the best men I ever knew/’ 

Among other turpentine operators in Coffee County 
were J. J. Lewis and Marshall Ashley. Another firm 
was Merritt and Powell, also McLean and Powell and 
Lott and McLean. 

In the southern section of Coffee County, near 
Pearson, D. F. Bullard had a large turpentine place 
and became very wealthy. He moved to Savannah 


312 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

but never forgot his Coffee County friends. Mr. J. J. 
Lewis was married to Miss Lou Ashley, a daughter of 
Captain Matt Ashley. Mr. Rufus R. Perkins, who was 
associated with Mr. John McLean in the turpentine 
business, married Miss Dora Lott, a daughter of Mrs. 
Jesse Lott of Broxton. 

An interesting problem of the turpentine business 
was securing labor sufficient to operate so many stills. 
At the close of each year’s work the turpentine men 
Avould go back to the Carolinas and secure negroes by 
the train-loads. They would unload at Hazlehurst and 
haul the negroes and their families out to the stills 
and deposit them in the cabins prepared for them. 

At each of these stills a church was built for the 
negroes, which they attended with great regularity. 
They also had baseball clubs and other things for their 
entertainment. Most all negroes are religious and 
musical. They have guitars, banjos, fiddles, and they 
all sing. They all have what you call spirituals; some¬ 
times they sing like fighting fire and sometimes like 
you are at a funeral. Here is a sample of a turpentine 
song: 

“A ban’ of angels done come after me, 

Come for to carry me home, 

Come on, bred’ren, jes’ come an’ see, 

Come for to carry me home. 

“Come on, chilluns, and le’s go home, 

Le’s take us wings an’ fly, 

Wrap me up in a little white sheet 

For I want to go to Heb ’n when I die. ’ ’ 

It is thought by. those well acquainted with negroes, 
their habits of thought and plan of living, that 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 313 

their religious inclinations is a very good tiling. 
Negroes have a lot of energy which they work off in 
religious exercises in preaching, singing, shouting, 
etc. Of course all this is harmless. Many other nations 
of people work off their surplus energy in strikes and 
walk-outs and things of that sort. 

Other turpentine firms are Mr. John Peterson, who 
married Miss Maggie Smith, a daughter of Samp 
Smith, who operates a business at Huffer, Ga. And 
Mr. A. G. Coffee is working the Vereen timber near 
West Green, Ga. Mr. John M. Cook of McRae has 
recently purchased the large turpentine interests 
formerly owned by J. L. Sapp and covers the same 
tracts of land formerly worked by McLean and Howell. 

Another extensive turpentine operator in Coffee 
County was Mr. E. A. Buck. His interest was in the 
neighborhood of Douglas. One of the best known 
turpentine operators in Coffee County was Tony 
Howell. His name was Miles Wilson Howell. He 
came to Coffee County from Portsmouth, Va. Mr. 
Howell was born in Gatts County in 1845. He is buried 
in Fitzgerald, Ga. He was a great church man and 
gave liberally to all denominations. 


314 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 


Fifty Uses of Turpentine 

(By U. S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service 
Office of Forest Products.) 

Volatile thinner for paints, varnishes and wood 
fillers. 

To accelerate oxidation of drying oils (as ozonizer). 

Solvent for waxes in shoes and leather polishes, floor 
polishes, and furniture polishes. 

Solvent for gums in lacquers and varnishes. 

Ingredients of waterproof cement for leather, rub¬ 
ber, glass, metals, etc. 

Solvent for waterproofing compositions. 

Cleaner for removing paints and oils from fabrics. 

Pharmaceutical purposes, including disinfectants, 
liniments, medicated soaps, internal remedies, oint¬ 
ments. 

Raw material for producing synthetic camphor and 
indirectly, celluloid, explosives, fireworks, and ma¬ 
chines. 

Raw material for producing terpineol and eu- 
calyptol. 

Raw material for producing terpin-hydrate used in 
medicines. 

Raw material for producing isoprene used in making 
synthetic rubber. 

In the manufacture of sealing wax. 

In glazing putty. 

Ingredients of some printing inks. 

In color printing, processes in lithography. 

Lubricant in grinding and drilling glass. 

As a moth repeller and in moth exterminators. 

Constituent of insecticides. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 315 


For cleaning fire-arms (alone or in combination with 
other materials). 

In laundry glosses. 

In washing preparations. 

In rubber substitutes. 

In wood stains. 

In stove polishes. 

In molding wax and grafting waxes. 

In belting greases. 

In drawing crayons. 

In the manufacture of leather. 

As a substitute of pine oil. 

In flotation concentration of ores. 

Solvent for rubber, caoutchouc and similar sub¬ 
stances. 

Used to prevent “bleeding’’ in the manufacture of 
cotton and print goods. 

Laboratory reagent, as substitute for more expensive 
organic solvent. 

Oxygen carrier in refining in petroleum illuminat¬ 
ing oils. 

Colored turpentine, reagent for wood and cork in 
Biological technique. 


316 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

Scab l imber 

One source of wealth to the early settlers of Coffee 
County was “getting out scab timber” and running 
the same down the river to the markets, Darien and 
Bruntfort. Much of this timber in Coffee County was 
floated down the Ocmulgee River, the Satilla River, 
and other smaller streams such as Pudding Creek and 
the Seventeen-Mile Creek. The men who got this 
timber were called “Timber Cutters.” They selected 
large trees and cut them down with club axes and 
then hewed the tree on four sides till it was square. 
These trees averaged from twelve inches to twenty- 
four inches square and were from twenty-five to fifty 
feet long. When thus prepared for market they were 
hauled to the water with mules and oxen and rafted 
on the water. The men then prepared themselves with 
provisions, got on the raft of logs, and drifted down 
to market. A raft would drift about twenty miles a 
day. The large logs would measure fifteen and sixteen 
hundred feet and would bring about twelve cents per 
foot. The smaller logs would contain about five and 
six hundred feet and would sell for nine and ten cents 
per foot. The farmers would “cut timber” in the fall 
and winter months when they were not engaged on 
the farm. Many of our most prosperous farmers, such 
as old man Elijah Tanner and his sons, the Gillis 
family, the Griffis, and other citizens along the big 
creeks and rivers. Many of men and boys got a good 
start in life by “scab timber.” When the saw mills 
came this kind of business went out of fashion. 

Scab timber was rafted and floated down the fol¬ 
lowing streams, to-wit: The Satilla River down to 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 317 


Burned Fort; down the Seventeen-Mile Creek into the 
Satilla River; down Pudding Creek; down Seventeen- 
Mile Creek; down Red Bluff into the Seventeen-Mile 
Creek. Burned Fort was the market for all “scab 
timber ” floated down the Satilla River. 

On the northern part of Coffee County the only 
stream was the Ocmulgee River. All timbers floated 
down the Ocmulgee River went to Darien, Ga., to be 
marketed. 


318 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


A Study in Human Hands 

Last Tuesday morning I looked into the hands of 
one thousand school children. Each little hand was 
open to receive a card or button which admitted the 
child to the Fair Grounds of Coffee County. I saw all 
sorts of hands. Some fat and some lean. Some long 
and thin and others short and chubby. But they were 
all human hands, the most unique piece of mechanism 
in all the world. Some of the little hands were full of 
plunder—pictures, cards, fruit, candy, strings and the 
like—that I could scarcely find room for a button. 

When I was a little boy my grandmother took my 
hand in hers and said, “I wonder what these little 
hands will find to do?” It made a profound im¬ 
pression. on my young mind. Now I find myself asking 
the same question about these thousands of Coffee 
County hands. I wonder what they will find to do ? 

The Bible tells us about clean hands and bloody 
hands. There are also smart hands and lazy hands 
—hands that toil and hands that play, hands that steal 
and hands that bless and help. The world would be 
better off if some boys and girls had no hands with 
which to do mischief. God gave us our hands for a 
good purpose. It is a grand sight to see a thousand 
children hold up their hands. They are all charged 
with dynamite to the finger tips for good or evil. 
The poet has said: 

“I wonder where their little feet will stray, 

And what their little hands will do, 

I wonder what their little lips will say, 

When they go from me and you?” 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 319 


The human hand has played a large part in the 
history of the world. The most skilled labor is done 
by hand. What would a generation do who had no 
hands? Then if hands are so important don’t you 
think we should make the best possible use of them? 
If we have clear heads, pure hearts and clean hands 
life will be a glorious success. 

So here is a good hand-shake for each child who 
reads this letter. Take good care of your hands while 
you live, for at last they will be laid across your breast, 
their work finished forever. 

From Ward’s Scrapbook, Coffee County, Georgia. 
Ward’s Scrapbook, 1905. 


320 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


Education 

There is no royal road to learning. In these good 
old days there was hardly a road of any kind. The 
state had no public school system. The churches had 
some colleges and the state a few, but the common 
people had not a place to learn a lesson till they pro¬ 
vided for it. The school masters were, as a rule, men 
who had made a failure of life, and who were hanging 
on to the ragged edge and taught for a living. A 
community would join together and hire a teacher 
and put him in some little out-house, with poor seats 
and no heat. Only reading and writing were taught. 
The teacher would board around with the parents and 
the school would last about three months in a- year 
and many of- the children would walk four and five 
miles to school. Children took their dinner to school, 
and the noon hour was spent in games, such as “cat,” 
town ball, marbles, role-a-hole. People generally 
wanted a teacher to be tight on the children. A 
teacher who did not whip was regarded as a poor 
make out for a teacher. “Spare the rod and spoil the 
child” was good Bible with them. 

They paid the teacher about $15 and $20 per month 
and fed him. Of course, towns had better teachers 
and better schools. 

Some of the old teachers who taught in this section 
were Prof. Nash, Elisha Graham, Samuel Isaacs, Prof. 
Holiday, W. B. Byrd, “Doggie” Young, J. M. Wilcox, 
Eton A. Howell, and others. 

You must not get the idea that all the people in this 
section were ignorant. Many of them came here from 
Virginia and the Carolinas and had good educations. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 321 

But most people lived the pioneer life and paid little 
attention to education. Many of the best men and 
women who grew up in the forties and fifties could not 
read nor write, but in spite of these handicaps they 
made good citizens. 


322 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


Inferior Courts and Courts of Ordinary 

The Acts of 1854, pages 294-6, approved February 
9th of that year, creating Coffee County, provided that 
an election should be held on the first Monday in 
January, 1855, at which county officers, including five 
justices of the Inferior Court, should be elected. 
Justices of the Inferior Court were elected and given 
charge of all of the fiscal affairs of the county and 
charged with the duty of procuring land and locating 
the county site, and erecting the public buildings. The 
Justices of the Inferior Court continued to administer 
all the fiscal affairs of Coffee County up to and 
through the year 1868, when under the Amendment 
to the Constitution, approved the second time De¬ 
cember 5, 1851, the office and Court of Ordinary 
was created, and the first Ordinary of Coffee County 
was elected during the year 1868, and assumed office 
beginning with the year 1869. The last Justices of 
the Inferior Court were Daniel Newbern, J. M. Wil¬ 
cox, John M. Lott, and James S. Pearson, who went 
out of the office under the Constitutional Amendment 
at the end of the year 1868, and the first Ordinary 
who assumed office in January, 1869, was Daniel Lott. 
The first official act recorded on the Minutes by the 
Ordinary was to fix the pay of jurors in the Superior 
Court of Coffee County at the sum of $1.00 per day. 

Coffee County Justices of the Inferior Court 

Mark Lott, Jr.Apr. 8,1854-Jan. 12,1857 

Joel Lott .Apr. 8,1854-Jan. 12,1857 

Alexander Mobly .Apr. 8,1854-Jan. 12,1857 

Hardy Hall .Apr. 8,1854-Jan. 12,1857 






Ward’s History of Coffee County 323 


Elijah Pickren 

Mark Lott, Jr. 

Hiram Sears . 

Hardy Hall . 

Hiram Swain .... 
Daniel Newbern . . 
Calvin A. Ward . . 
Mark Willcox .... 
John Vickers, Jr.. 
Daniel Newbern . . 
William H. Walker 
George C. Dearing 

C. A. Ward. 

Micajah Paulk . . . 
James M. Wilcox . 
James R. Smith ... 

J. M. Wilcox. 

Daniel Newbern . . 

J. M. Lott. 

J. S. Pearson. 


.. Apr. 8,1854-Jan. 12,1857 
.Jan. 12,1857-Jan. 10,1861 
.Jan. 12,1857-Jan. 10,1861 
.Jan. 12,1857-Jan. 10,1861 
.Jan. 12,1857- 
.Jan. 12,1857-Jan. 10,1861 
June 15,1858-Jan. 10,1861 
.Jan. 10,1861-Jan. 25,1862 
.Jan. 10,1861-Jan. 23,1865 
.Jan. 10,1861-Jan. 23,1865 
.Jan. 10,1861-Jan. 23,1865 
.Jan. 10,1861-Jan. 25,1862 
.Jan. 25,1862-Jan. 23,1865 
.Jan. 25,1862- 
June 20,1862-Jan. 23,1865 

.Jan. 23,1865-1868 

.Jan. 23,1865-1868 

.Jan. 23,1865-1868 

.Jan. 23,1865-1868 

.Jan. 23,1865-1868 






















324 Wakd’s History of Coffee County 


Hon. William M. Gaskin 


lion. William M. 
Gaskin, representa¬ 
tive from Coffee 
County in the legis¬ 
lature, 1880-1, had 
been impressed with 
rowdiness and drink¬ 
ing on passenger 
trains running 
through the county 
carrying excur¬ 
sionists to the sea¬ 
shore and he intro¬ 
duced, and had 



Hon. William M. Gaskin 


passed by the legislature, a general law giving the 
conductors on all passenger trains in Georgia the right 
of police power with authority to eject any passengers 
guilty of rowdiness, disorderly conduct or playing 
cards for value, or the right to arrest parties who 
violated any criminal law of Georgia and turn them 
over to the proper authorities of the county where the 
crime was committed, to be prosecuted for such of¬ 
fenses. The conductor was given authority to com¬ 
mand the assistance of the train crew and of any 
other passengers on the train to eject the offending 
passengers or to arrest them and deliver them to the 
proper authorities for prosecution. 

This act is still in force in Georgia and was first 
incorporated in Acts 1880-1, page 138. 

In honor of Mr. Gaskin and in memory of his great 
service for the State the conductors of the Brunswick 



Ward’s History of Coffee County 325 


and Albany Railroad presented Mr. Gaskin with a 
gold medal about the size of a twenty-dollar gold 
piece with the following inscription, to-wit: “Pre¬ 
sented to Honorable W. M. Gaskin by the Conductors 
of the B. & A. R. R. for introducing bill No. 187, on 
July 11, 1881, passed September 13, 1881.” 


326 Ward’s History or Coffee County 


The History of Newspapers in 
Coffee County 

One of the most outstanding pioneer newspaper men 
of this section of the state was James M. Freeman, of 
Coffee County, known to everybody as “Uncle Jim.” 
He has been dead only a few years, but his memory 
will live for years to come. 

It would be hard to give in detail his locations in 
the newspaper game but suffice it to say that he spent 
the last quarter of a century in Douglas with formerly 
the Douglas Breeze; later the Douglas Enterprise. At 
the time of his death he was Justice of the Peace for 
this militia district, a part of his time being given to 
writing “Uncle Jim’s Note Book” for the Douglas 
Enterprise. 

Uncle Jim was a typical country editor, loved the 
work, and knew every phase of it. He was quoted 
so often by the daily press, and known throughout the 
state. He began the work with the old Washington 
handpress, and long before the linotype was in evi¬ 
dence. Mr. Freeman was associated with William 
Parker in the publication of the Coffee County 
Gazette at Pearson, Georgia, and later with W. P. 
Ward in the publication of the “Waycross Head¬ 
light.” 

At one time during his career his newspaper carried 
at the mast head the names of “J. M. Freeman and 
Daughters, Publishers.” Perhaps this was the only 
paper in the state with such an unique head. 

Uncle Jim was not an old man at his death. He 
gave up newspaper work after he was elected J. P., 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 327 

only contributing weekly to his old love, the Douglas 
Enterprise. 

Uncle Jim frequently made talks over the country. 
He was invited to all the gatherings, especially the 
singing conventions, where he would play his cornet 
and always made a speech, filled with anecdotes and 
stories of various kinds. The children all knew him 
and loved him. 

During his last days Uncle Jim had an office at the 
court house. His friends from over the country and 
in the city called often. He always had a word for 
them and they enjoyed hearing what he had to say. 
He was “Uncle Jim” to all of them. His friends in 
the country would bring him various things to eat, 
often swapping them to him for a subscription to the 
paper. This was a great part of his life in his last 
days, and he would sit for hours with his pipe and tell 
them stories that would please them. 

Uncle Jim never accumulated much money. He 
was not in a money-making game, but he earned more 
than money or fame, giving to the world an honest 
and useful life, always doing something to please. 

Douglas Enterprise, formerly the Douglas Breeze, 
started in 1888. J. M. Freeman was editor for over 
twenty five years. W. R. Frier bought the paper in 
1908 and is the present editor. 

In 1891, E. V. Newbern published the Coffee County 
Gazette for only a short time. 

The Douglas Leader was operated by Quincey & 
McDonald for a few years about 1900. Later absorbed 
by The Douglas Enterprise. 

Coffee County Gazette started by W. P. Ward in 
1904 and was sold to The Douglas Enterprise. 


328 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

Coffee County News started in 1906 by S. H. Chris¬ 
topher and was sold to Douglas Enterprise. 

Broxton, Georgia 

The Broxton Journal was started at Broxton in 
1903 by C. 0. Beauchamp. Bought and operated for 
four years by W. R. Frier, in 1904. 

Willacoochee, Georgia 

The Willacoochee Times is operated at Willacoochee. 
Garrett, editor. Same plant was operated under 
several other names for several years, starting about 
1910. 

Coffee County Progress was started in 1912 by T. A. 
Wallace and others. Present editor, Fred Ricketson. 

Nicholls, Georgia 

The Nicholls News was started by a number of 
Nicholls people in 1912. Suspended in a short time. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 329 


Map of Roads in Coffee County, Georgia 



This map was drawn primarily to show the location 
of the roads. We have two hundred and fifty miles 
of graded roads surfaced with clay. We have six 
hundred and ninety-two miles of public roads. 

There are twelve bridges on the Seventeen-Mile 
Creek. All making a total of a mile in length. There 
are six bridges on the Satilla River, having a total 
length of forty-two hundred feet. There are many 

















330 Ward’s History of Coffee County 

other bridges across the smaller streams of the county, 
making in all a distance of five miles of bridges. The 
names of the bridges are as follows: Solomon Bridge, 
Raccoon Bridge, Belle Lake Bridge, Indian Ford 
Bridge, New Highway Bridge, Broxton Road Bridge, 
Tom Young Bridge, Rocky Pond Road Bridge, Am¬ 
brose Road Bridge, Leaston Harper Bridge, Marvin 
Day Bridge, Satilla River Bridge, Old Coffee Ford 
Bridge, Old Johnnie Vickers Ford Bridge, Bridgetown 
Bridge, Starling Bridge, Pearson Road Bridge, Reedy 
Creek Bridge. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 331 


Confederate Soldiers Who Went to the 
War From Coffee County 


Anderson, William. . .4th, Ga. 
Anderson, David... .26th, Ga. 
Anderson, Aaron....47th, Ga. 

Adams, P. J.20th, Ga. 

Allen, T. C.10th, Ga. 

Adams, Willanghly. . 63rd, Ga. 

Bennett, W. J.26th, Ga. 

Beverly, John W.4th, Ga. 

Bailey, Thorpe.26th, Ga. 

Blount, J. B.2nd, Ga. 

Bowen, J. H... .49th, Ga. 

Burke, A. D.25th, Ga. 

Beecher, H. H.25th, Ga. 

Beasley, W. M.1st, Ga. 

Bowen, W. C.49th, Ga. 

Cowart, K. C.50th, Ga. 

Cook, Henry..14th, Ga. 

Culbreath, L. M.48th, Ga. 

Cross, Richard.10th, Ga. 

Courson, W. S.4th, Ga. 

Cato, W. R..50th, Ga. 

Canley, John.26th, Ga. 

Corbett, M.29th, Ga. 

Chaney, Harrison... 50th, Ga. 

Childs, W. H.45th, Ga. 

Corbett, M. L.29th, Ga. 

Crosley, Abraham. . .47th, Ga. 
Crosley, Spencer... .47th, Ga. 
Channell, John..... .2nd, Ga. 

Douglas, B. W.31st, Ga. 

Dobson, W. B.27th, Ga. 

Duren, Richard.29th, Ga. 

Davis, Stafford.32nd, Ga. 

Douglas, Warren... .18th, Ga. 

Deen, Jamia.4th, Ga. 

Douglas, Stephen....31st, Ga. 


Elmore, Thomas J.. 

.. 5th, 

Ga. 

Ellis, Joshua. 

.50th, 

Ga. 

Edinfield, Jesse.... 


Ga. 

Ellis, H. 


Ga. 

Findley, A. B. 

.29th, 

Ga. 

Folds, T. J. 

.13th, 

Ga. 

Grantham, Jackson. 

.50th, 

Ga. 

Gilliard, W. H. 

.63rd, 

Ga. 

Hutto, William.... 


Ga. 

Harris, Matthew... 

.26th, 

Ga. 

Hays, B. F. 


Ga. 

Hall, Joel. 

.29th, 

Ga. 

Hersey, Joshua T... 

.26th, 

Ga. 

Henderson, J. T.... 

.24th, 

Ga. 

Hesters, S. B. 

..5th, 

Ga. 

Jowers, J. J. 

. .31st, 

Ga. 

Johnson, J. C. 

.12th, 

Ga. 

Johnson, W. M. 

..4th, 

Ga. 

Joiner, Hardy S.... 


Ga. 

Joiner, Thomas.... 

..6th, 

Ga. 

Johnson, John. 

.47th, 

Ga. 

Kelley, J. R. 

.14th, 

Ga. 

Kirkland, M. 


Ga. 

Lott, J. P. 

..4th, 

Ga. 

Mansell, Hiram. .. . 

.31st, 

Ga, 

Morgan, Jacob. 


Ga. 

Murrey, William... 

.10th, 

Ga. 

Mack, W. J. 

.25th, 

Ga. 

Miller, Frank. 

.18th, 

Ga. 

Merritt, Robert.... 

..4th, 

Ga. 

Merritt, Mark. 

.61st, 

Ga. 

Myers, J. M. 

. 14tli, 

Ga. 

Myers, S. F. 

.14th, 

Ga. 

Maddox, W. J. 


Ga. 

Mixon, John. 

.63rd, 

Ga. 

Mansel, H. 

. ,31st, 

Ga, 


























































332 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


McLeod, F. M.26th, Ga. 

McCormick, G. E.20th, Ga. 

McGough, Talley.3rd, Ga. 

Newbern, Thomas.. .29th, Ga. 

Newbern, E. D.50th, Ga. 

O’mally, James.13th, Ga. 

Odum, H. W.26th, Ga. 

O’Berry, D. E.1st, Ga. 

O’Neal, T. P.4th, Ga. 

Peterson, Dan. ..31st, Ga. 

Ricketson, Vincent. .21st, Ga. 

Royal, Harmon.4th, Ga. 

Ricketson, J. P.26th, Ga. 

Roberts, Gray.29th, Ga. 

Rogar, John D.49th, Ga. 

Sauls, T. J.26th, Ga. 

Stephens, J. E.,50th, Ga. 

Sweat, F. R.26th, Ga. 

Shea, S.3rd, Ga. 

Snipes, John A.45th, Ga. 

Spikes, John.50th, Ga. 

Stewart, Joshua.29th, Ga. 

Surrency, John M.. . .26th, Ga. 

Stone, J. J.5(j)th, Ga. 

Sapp, Joseph.21st, Ga. 

Smith, David.63rd, Ga. 

Sapp, Enoch.4th, Ga. 


Spears, George P.3rd, Ga. 

Sapp, John Dr...4th, Ga. 

Sloughter, T. H.57th, Ga. 

Spivey, D. P.26th, Ga. 

Spivey, Franklin....20th, Ga. 

Stone, William.50th, Ga. 

Thompson, W. A.26th, Ga. 

Tompkins, D. J.......9th, Ga. 

Taylor, Josiah.4th, Ga. 

Thompson, J. S.4th, Ga. 

Thomas, Edward. ...47th, Ga. 

Taff, J. J.50th, Ga. 

Tarrant, W. B.20th, Ga. 

Thomas, D. F.4th, Ga. 

Tucker, John T.4th, Ga. 

Thompson, John A.. . .4th, Ga. 

Trowell, A. J.4th, Ga. 

Taylor, W. P.4th, Ga. 

Varnadoe, J. Q.26th, Ga. 

Vickers, Willie .50th, Ga. 

Vining, James.50th, Ga. 

Vinson, C. C.. ..8th, Ga. 

Woods, Josiah.4th, Ga. 

Williams, R. G.56th, Ga. 

Ward, John E.50th, Ga. 

Yeomans, Ashford.. .26th, Ga. 










































Ward’s History of Coffee County 333 


World War Veterans—Coffee County 

Army 


Adams, Bobbie (col.) .Broxton 

Adams, Marshall.Broxton 

Adams, Will .Broxton 

Allen, Ed. (col.) . Willacoochee 

Allen, Lee .Ambrose 

Amerson, A. (col.).. .Douglas 
Anderson, F. (col.) .. .Broxton 
Anderson, G. (col.) . .Ambrose 
Anderson, J. (col.) . .Ambrose 

Anderson, Salter.Nicholls 

Anderson, W. (col.). .Ambrose 

Andrews, Leon .Douglas 

Arburthnot, Wm. J.Wray 

Arnold, E. (col.).Douglas 

Austin, William B...Broxton 

Avriett, Byron A.Douglas 

Bagley, J. J. B.Nicholls 

Bailey, William Z....Douglas 
Baity, James (col.). . .Douglas 
Baity, John G. (col.) .Douglas 

Baker, C. Y.Douglas 

Barnes, D. S. (col.). .Douglas 

Barringer, C. A.Douglas 

Bazemore, G. T.Kirkland 

Beasley, O. (col.) . . . .Douglas 
Becton, Kato (col.) .Kirkland 

Belamy, S. (col.).Douglas 

Bell, Oscar M.Douglas 

Bennett, C. H.Nicholls 

Bennett, J. (col.)... .Ambrose 

Berry, Charles J.Douglas 

Bethea, William C.... Nicholls 
Beverly, Lawrence D..Douglas 
Blount, J. 0. (col.) .. .Douglas 
Blunt, Adams .Douglas 


Boatright, Marian E..Douglas 
Boone, Usher (col.). .Broxton 
Bordeaux, George W..Ambrose 

Bouyer, Robert .Douglas 

Bowyer, R. (col.).. . .Douglas 
Boyd, Hollie (col.) . . .Broxton 

Boyd, James II.Broxton 

Boyd, Wiley .Broxton 

Branch, James. . . .West Green 
Brazel, Oner (col.). . .Douglas 
Brazel, Sam (col.).. .Douglas 

Brice, Mitchell F.Douglas 

Bridges, Erastus H...Douglas 

Brigman, John B.Nicholls 

Brigman, Willie F... .Nicholls 
Bright, Charlie (col.) .Douglas 
Brinson, G. (col.)... .Nicholls 

Brogdon, Fort. E.Douglas 

Brown, Bailie (col.) . .Broxton 
Brown, B. (col.) .Willacoochee 

Brown, Harry J.Douglas 

Brown, Josh (col.)... Ambrose 
Brown, James C.. . . . Ambrose 
Brown, Leroy (col.).. Broxton 
Brown, R. (col.)..West Green 

Brown, Samuel . ..Wray 

Bryant, George G.Douglas 

Bryant, Jule (col.).. .Douglas 
Bryant, Walter (col.), Nicholls 
Bryant, Wesley (col.), Nicholls 
Buchanon, James ....Douglas 
Bugg, Frank (col.)... .Morey 
Burgis, Burny (col.). .Douglas 
Burkett, James M.... Nicholls 
Burkett, T. L.West Green 
































334 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


Burrows, E. (col.).. .Nicholls 
Busby, Julious O..West Green 
Butler, G. (col.)..West Green 


Byrd, Lewis A.Nicholls 

Byrd, Zeanus W.Broxton 

Campbell, Frank .... Ambrose 

Cannon, Goode S.Douglas 

Cargile, Ishmael .Douglas 

Carson, Fado (col.). .Douglas 
Carter, George (col.) .Douglas 

Carter, Geo. B.Broxton 

Carter, Joseph (col.) .Douglas 

Carver, Jesse .Ambrose 

Cason, Oscar R. .....Nicholls 

Cason, Silas D.Douglas 

Cauley, Brantley .. . Ambrose 
Chancey, W. (col.).. .Nicholls 

Chappell, John R.Douglas 

Christian, Willie W...Douglas 
Claridy, William T...Broxton 
Clark, J. H. (col.). .Ambrose 
Clark, Lucius (col.) . .Ambrose 


Clark, M. (col.)..West Green 

Clements, Edd .Douglas 

Cobb, H. (col.).. Willacoochee 
Coffee, Sam (col.). . .Douglas 

Coleman, E. (col.)_Axson 

Coleman, J. H., 

Wm. H. (col.).Nicholls 

Collins, Coy (col.).. .Ambrose 
Combs, John (col.) . .Ambrose 

Cone, Hiawatha .Douglas 

Cook, A. (col.).Douglas 

Cook, C. (col.).Broxton 

Cook, Eddie (col.).. .Douglas 

Cook, W. J. (col.).West Green 
Cook, Willie (col.).. .Douglas 
Cooper, Willie (col.) .Douglas 

Corn, Ira George.Douglas 

Corbitt, Homer .Broxton 


Corbitt, William R....Pearson 
Courson, Robert . .West Green 
Courson, Archie C.... Nicholls 
Courson, Oliver M....Douglas 
Cowart, Wilburn ....Douglas 
Cray, Enles (col.).. .Broxton 
Crawford, Archie L...Pearson 
Cribb, James M...West Green 

Cribb, Marvin H.Nicholls 

Cribb, Thomas L.Nicholls 

Crosby, Melvin L.Douglas 

Cross, Charlie (col.). .Douglas 
Crumbley, H. (col.) .. Ambrose 
Curry, Essie (col.).. .Douglas 
Cutno, Matt (col.) .. .Douglas 

Darley, Lee C.Douglas 

Davenport, H. J. S. 

(col.) .Douglas 

Davis, Archie .Douglas 

Davis, C. (col.).Douglas 

Davis, Luther .Nicholls 

Davis, Oza E.Douglas 

Dawson, W. (col.) ... .Douglas 

Day, Ashel M.Douglas 

Dedge, Edward D.Douglas 

Deen, William H.Pearson 

Dees, John M.Douglas 

Dent, Ira .Douglas 

Dickerson, Carl .Ambrose 

Dill, G. (col.) ... .West Green 
Dixon, Henry (col.). .Douglas 
Dixon, Zone (col.).. .Douglas 
Donaldson, L. (col.) .Nicholls 
Dorminey, Daniel F..Nicholls 
Douglas, Avner F...Kirkland 
Douglas, Elisha ....Kirkland 
Douglas, James L... .Nicholls 
Drake, David (col.). .Nicholls 
Drummer, S. (col.).. .Douglas 
Dubose, Bennie L.... Ambrose 































Ward’s History of Coffee County 335 


Dudley, Carlos D..West Green 


Duncan, J. (col.) .... .Douglas 

Dupree, A. (col.).Douglas 

Duvall, Howard R....Douglas 
Edgerton, M. (col.). .Douglas 
Edmond, W. (col.) .. .Broxton 
Edmondson, C. (col.) .Douglas 
Edmondson, G. (col.) .Douglas 


Edwards, John (col.) .Broxton 
Edwards, M. (col.) .. .Broxton 
Elliott, A. (col.) . .. .Nicholls 

Ellis, James T.Douglas 

Ellison, B. (col.). Willacoochee 

England, Fred C.Broxton 

English, John H.Broxton 

Epton, M. (col.).Douglas 

Fairly, Green (col.) . .Broxton 
Faison, Henry (col.). .Broxton 

Fales, Ira ..Douglas 

Fason, Joe (col.).Douglas 

Felder, Andrew Lee.Ambrose 
Fennell, Sam (col.) .. .Douglas 

Fielding, Henry .Douglas 

Fillmore, N. (col.) .. .Douglas 
Fletcher, H. (col.) .. .Douglas 

Floyd, John H.Douglas 

Floyd, Warrar .Bushnell 

Francis, W. (col.) .. .Ambrose 
Friar, Dock (col.) ... .Douglas 

Friar, M. (col.).Douglas 

Fryer, E. (col.).Douglas 

Fryer, Henry (col.) . .Douglas 
Fuller, Norman (col.) .Douglas 
Fuller, Orzie (col.). .Bushnell 
Fullmore, J. (col.) .. .Pearson 
Funderbunk, S. (col.). Douglas 
Fussell, D. W. (col.).. .Wray 
Fussell, J. M. (col.). .Ambrose 
Gainey, James M.Douglas 


Gallon, Y. (col.) ... .Ambrose 

Gamble, James L.Broxton 

Gamble, Pless .Broxton 

Garvin, J. W. (col.) .Douglas 
Gaskin, Daniel M....Douglas 

Gaskin, L. (col.).Broxton 

Gaskin, Spurgeon S.. . Broxton 
Gaskin, William J....Douglas 
George, Walter L..West Green 
Gibson, Clarence E... Nicholls 

Giles, Walter H.Nicholls 

Giles, William L.Nicholls 

Gillis, Charlton J.Douglas 

Gillis, James M.Douglas 

Gillis, Jesse .Nicholls 

Ginsburg, Nathan ...Douglas 
Gipson, W. (col.)... .Douglas 
Girtman, A. (col.)... .Douglas 
Goddard, Sam (col.). .Douglas 
Goodyear, Marian ...Douglas 

Goodyear, Paul A.Douglas 

Grady, John (col.).. .Douglas 
Graham, James (col.) .Douglas 
Grantham, Charlie . .. Douglas 
Green, Sam (col.) ... .Nicholls 
Green, Thomas M... .Nicholls 

Griffin, Monroe .Douglas 

Griner, John W.Douglas 

Grisson, George W....Douglas 

Guess, Aaron .Pearson 

Gutman, A. (col.)... Ambrose 

Hall, Cicero S.Nicholls 

Hall, Calvin A.Nicholls 

Hall, Dock (col.).Douglas 

Hall, Thomas L.Nicholls 

Hancock, Melvin E...Pearson 
Hardy, R. J. (col.). .Leliaton 
Harmon, Will (col.). .Douglas 
Harper, Berry.Douglas 































336 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


Harper, Dennis .Bushnell 

Harper, Elijah .Douglas 

Harper, Henry .Ambrose 

Harper, James .Douglas 

Harrell, James .Douglas 

Harris, Henry (col.) .Broxton 

Harris, John (col.) . .Broxton 
Harris, W. (col.) ... .Broxton 
Harrison, A. (col.) .. .Douglas 
Haskins, William M..Broxton 
Hatcher, C. (col.) .. .Ambrose 
Hayes, Christ (col.) . .Douglas 
Haynes, Joe (col.). . .Douglas 

Head, Anthony .Leliaton 

Henriet, George ..West Green 
Henriot, Warren A...Nicholls 
Henson, Taylor N. ...Douglas 

Herris, Hezzie R.Nicholls 

Herrin, Lewis .Nicholls 

Hersey, Eddie .Nicholls 

Higgs, Thomas R.Douglas 

Hill, A. (col.).Sapps Still 

Hodge, C. (col.)..Douglas 

Hollenworth, E. (col.) .Douglas 

Holton, Weaver .Douglas 

Hooten, W., Jr. (col.) .Douglas 
Howard, Edward C...Douglas 
Howard, Shepherd .. Bushnell 

Howard, T. (col.)_Douglas 

Huggins, G. (col.)-Douglas 

Huggins, R. (col.)_Douglas 

Hughes, Jim (col.).. .Douglas 
Hunter, Louis (col.) . .Douglas 

Hursey, Arthur .Douglas 

Hursey, Emmett S... .Broxton 
Hutchinson, H. D....Douglas 

Hutto, Richard, Jr.Wray 

Ingram, Henry (col.) .Douglas 
Jackson, Eli (col.) .. .Douglas 


Jackson, Henry N..Bear Creek 


Jackson, W. (col.).. .Broxton 

Jardine, A. R.Douglas 

Jardine, James B.Douglas 

Jeffcoat, Joel G., Jr...Douglas 
Jeffrey, A. (col.). . . .Ambrose 
Jefferson, C. (col.) .. .Douglas 
Johnson, Ed (col.)... Douglas 
Johnson, Eddie (col.) .Broxton 
Johnson, Grover C... .Nicholls 
Johnson, H. (col.) .. .Douglas 

Johnson, Isaac F.Douglas 

Johnson, Joe (col.) . .Ambrose 
Johnson, N., Jr. (col.) .Douglas 
Johnson, R. (col.).. .Broxton 
Johnson, S. (col.)... .Douglas 


Johnson, Truman H...Douglas 
Johnson, William S...Nicholls 
Joyce, Benjamin J...Ambrose 

Joyce, William .Douglas 

Joiner, Hardy .Douglas 

Joiner, Mose .Douglas 

Jones, A. (col.).Douglas 

Jones, E. (col.).Broxton 

Jones, Jake (col.) ... .Douglas 
Jones, Lim B.... (No address) 
Jones, Royce L.. . .West Green 
Jordan, Joe (col.) ... .Douglas 
Jowers, Earnest E...Ambrose 
Jowers, J., Jr. (col.) .Douglas 

Jowers, Pink .Bushnell 

Kelley, J. (col.) ... . .Broxton 
Kendrick, J. (col.) .West Green 

Kight, Rufus.Broxton 

Kight, Thomas W....Broxton 
King, E. G. (col.).West Green 

Kirkland, Dixie .Nicholls 

Kirkland, Edward L..Douglas 
Kirkland, Emmitt ...Nicholls 































Ward’s History of Coffee County 337 


Kirkland, J. B.Douglas 

Kirkland, L. F...West Green 
Kirkland, Patrick ...Nicliolls 
Kirkland, Stafford ..Nieholls 
Kirkland, Thomas P..Douglas 
Kirkland, Zean W... .Nieholls 
Knight, James M.. . ...Broxton 

Knowles, Kile W.Douglas 

Knowles, P. (col.) . .. .Douglas 
Laidler, J. H. (col.). .Douglas 

Laird, John B.Douglas 

Lairsey, George W... .Douglas 

Lamar, H. (col.).Douglas 

Lane, C. (col.)... .West Green 
Lane, L. W. (col.).. .Nieholls 
Lasseter, William ...Nieholls 
Lee, J. M. (col.)..West Green 

Lee, Joe ..Douglas 

Lemons, Arthur .Douglas 

Lewis, Earnest .Nieholls 

Lewis, J. S. (col.)... .Douglas 

Lewis, Joe .Douglas 

Lewis, R. (col.).Douglas 

Little, T. (col.).Douglas 

Long, John F.Douglas 

Lott, Clinton .Douglas 

Lott, James M.Douglas 

Lott, John D.Broxton 

Lott, Lester .Douglas 

Lott, Warren .Douglas 

Lott, Lonnie J.Douglas 

Lowery, Clarence E...Douglas 

Lowery, John T.Ambrose 

Luke, David F.Douglas 

Lyons, George (col.) .Douglas 

McCall, A. (col.).Douglas 

McCallum, Henry N.. Broxton 
McCarthy, Daniel ...Nieholls 
McClain, T. (col.)_Douglas 


McClendon, E. (col.) .Ambrose 
McClendon, B. (col.) .Ambrose 

McCranie, B. G.Douglas 

McDonald, C. L.(col.) .Broxton 
McDonald, Eugene J..Nieholls 
McDonald, John C....Douglas 
McFadden, L. (col.). .Douglas 

McGee, John W.Douglas 

McLean, C. (col.).. . .Douglas 
McLean, James F....Douglas 
McLean, J. (col.).. . .Douglas 

McLean, Roy G.Douglas 

McLean, William A.Wray 

McMillian, N. (col.). .Douglas 
McNair, B. (col.). . . .Douglas 
McPhail, A. (col.) .. .Ambrose 
McQuaig, James W...Nieholls 
McRae, Jack (col.). .Douglas 


McWhite, Tom (col.) .Douglas 

Mainor, Jesse M.Douglas 

Malpass, Clyde .Douglas 

Mancil .Kirkland 

Manley, J. (col.).Douglas 

Marshall, Lee . . . .West Green 

Martin, Joseph .Douglas 

Martin, Seba .....West Green 
Mayo, John ....... .Ambrose 

Meeks, Charlie H.Douglas 

Meeks, Dan M.Nieholls 

Meeks, Demery.Douglas 

Meeks, Emery C.Nieholls 

Meeks, Ira J.Nieholls 

Meeks, Malcom .Nieholls 

Meeks, Spencer .Nieholls 

Meeks, Spurgeon .. . .Nieholls 
Meeks, William G... .Nieholls 

Merritt, Elijah .Ambrose 

Merritt, John .Ambrose 

Merritt, John .Broxton 










































338 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


Merritt, William S...Ambrose 
Miller, Archibald P. .Broxton 
Miller, W. E. (col.).. Douglas 
Minchew, James M... .Douglas 
Minchew, Willoe ....Nicholls 
Minchew, Julian M...Douglas 

Minix, Albert .Douglas 

Mixon, John H.Douglas 

Mixon, Thomas M.Axson 

Mobley, G. M. (col.) .Broxton 
Mobley, Lim (col.). .Broxton 
Mobley, Marvin M...Broxton 


Mobley, M. C. (col.) .Douglas 


Mobley, Otis (col.) .. .Douglas 
Moore, Charles W... .Nicholls 

Moore, Clifton F.Nicholls 

Moore, Carl (col.).. .Ambrose 

Moore, Henry C.Douglas 

Moore, Robert .Nicholls 

Morgan, John (col.) .Douglas 

Morris, James B.Nicholls 

Morris, Jim (col.).. .Douglas 
Mosely, Lawson R...Broxton 

Mote, Cecil E.Douglas 

Music, James .Nicholls 

Nance, Emery L.Douglas 

Nance, Mayo (col.). .Douglas 

Nettles, Henry .Nicholls 

Newbern, Daniel F...Broxton 


Newcurte, L. (col.) .Chatterton 


Newkirk, M. (col.). .Bushnell 
Nicholson, A. (col.).. Douglas 
Nickson, A. (col.). .. .Broxton 

Nipper, Willie .Douglas 

Nixon, A. (col.).Broxton 

Norris, George W... .Nicholls 

Odom, Rowan E.Broxton 

Oldsmith, J. (col.) .. .Douglas 
Oneal, Pearl (col.) .. .Douglas 


Oneal, S. (col.).Douglas 

Oneal, Luther .Douglas 

Osteen, Dunk ....West Green 
Osteen, Herbert Q.. . .Douglas 
Owens, Sam (col.).. . .Leliaton 
Paramore, L. (col.).... Ozark 
Parks, Rufus (col.).. Douglas 

Parker, James L.Nicholls 

Parker, John W.Nicholls 

Parker, John A.Douglas 

Parrish, Rufus ..Douglas 

Patton, Frank .Ambrose 

Paulk, Clifton C.Douglas 

Paulk, Homer .Ambrose 

Paulk, Willie .Ambrose 

Payne, Joseph P... Enterprise 
*Peace, Leonard H...Douglas 
Pearson, J. (col.). . . .Douglas 
Perry, A. L. (col.) .West Green 

Peterson, M. W.Broxton 

Peterson, Rexford ...Douglas 

Phillips, B. R.Ambrose 

Philips, Samuel J.Douglas 

Pitts, Isome (col.) .Hilder Sta. 
Pittman, Martin E....Douglas 
Pouncie, R. (col.)... .Nicholls 
Powell, D. G. (col.). .Douglas 
Powell, John (col.) . .Douglas 

Powell, P. (col.).Douglas 

Price, C. (col.).. .West Green 
Prickett, James Roy.Douglas 

Pridgen, Arthur .Broxton 

Pridgen, E. (col.)... .Douglas 
Pridgen, George W...Broxton 

Pridgen, Jesse .Broxton 

Purvis, Reason .Douglas 

Quincey, Hately J....Douglas 

Rawls, H. (col.).Fairfax 

Relihan, James E.Douglas 




































I 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 339 


Relihan, Maurice P...Douglas 

Eentz, P. (col.).Ambrose 

Redden, Julius (col.) .Douglas 
Reed, George (col.). .Douglas 
Reed, Perry (col.).. .Broxton 

Reed, Sam (col.).Broxton 

Reeves, George.Bushnell 

Reeves, S. J. (col.)... .Upton 

Rewis, Earnest .Nicholls 

Rliem, James (col.) .. .Douglas 
Rickardson, James J..Douglas 

Rieketson, Fred .Douglas 

Ricketson, Oscar ....Broxton 
Eiggnes, Lewis (col.) .Douglas 

Roan, Bruce J.Douglas 

Rollie, E. W. (col.). .Nicholls 

Roberts, Danile .Ambrose 

Roberts, Henry C.Douglas 

Roberts, James A....Douglas 
Roberts, J. A. (col.) .Nicholls 

Roberts, Rufus O.Pearson 

Roberts, Ralph H.... Nicholls 

Rollins, Lester C.Douglas 

Rowell, Clifton .Nicholls 

Rowland, Ike M.Douglas 

Rowland, Matthew . .Douglas 
Rozier, J. E. (col.). .Ambrose 
Rudolph, Milton O.. .Douglas 
Ruff, Major (col.). .. .Douglas 

Rushing, B. T.Douglas 

Salter, Burke .Douglas 

Samuel, G. (col.)..... Douglas 
Sanders, J. (col.).West Green 

Sanders, Zeb B.Douglas 

Sapp, David C.Douglas 

Sapp, Mitchell .Douglas 

Schumpert, J. E., Jr..Douglas 

Scott, Hardie E.Broxton 

Scruggs, G. (col.)... .Douglas 


Sears, Cary J.Nicholls 

Sears, Charlie .Nicholls 

Sears, Elias .Douglas 

Sears, Elijah .Douglas 

Sears, Wesley .Nicholls 

Shady, George .Douglas 

Shappell, Clinton E...Douglas 

Shappell, Rauss .Douglas 

Shaw, Fred H. (col.). .Douglas 

Shaw, Tom (col.).Douglas 

Shepherd, A. (col.) .. .Douglas 
Shrouder, Selma M...Broxton 
Slaughter, Forest T.. . Douglas 
Small, John (col.).. .Douglas 

Smith, Ashely .Broxton 

Smith, Don (col.) .West Green 

Smith, F. (col.).Broxton 

Smith, J. L. (col.).. .Douglas 

Smith, James W.Ambrose 

Smith, James D.Broxton 

Smith, Jesse W.Douglas 

Smith, Rufus J.Nicholls 

Smith, Stacey Lee... Douglas 

Smith, Willie C.Broxton 

Snipes, Jesse . . ;.Broxton 

Southerland, A. F... .Nicholls 
Southerland, W. C... . Douglas 
Solomon, David L....Ambrose 
Solomon, E. (col.).. .Broxton 
Solomon, Shaver ....Broxton 
Springer, Billie (col.). .Mova 

Spears, Marvin G.Douglas 

Speight, H. M. (col.) .Douglas 
Spencer, Eugene .... Douglas 
Spikes, Henry (col.). Nicholls 

Spivey, Janies E.Douglas 

Spivey, Wiley L.Douglas 

Stalnaker, Ralph T...Broxton 
Stalvey, Mose .Douglas 




































340 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


Stalsvey, C. M.Douglas 

Stanton, Howard W..Douglas 
Starling, Edward O...Douglas 
Stephens, G. (col.).. .Ambrose 

Stevens, Fred .Douglas 

Stewart, Andrew J... Douglas 
Stewart, E. (col.).. .Ambrose 
Stewart, Maleom .. .Ambrose 

Stone, Jack .Douglas 

Story, Andrew S.Douglas 

Strickland, B. S.Douglas 

Stubbs, Francis S....Douglas 
Summerlin, Allen . . . Kirkland 

Sutton, C. (col.).Douglas 

Strozier, E. (col.).. . .Douglas 

Stubbs, Clyde Me.Douglas 

Swails, James .Douglas 

Swanson, Ernest C.. .. Douglas 

Sweat, Estell.Nicholls 

Tanner, Allen .Nicholls 

Tanner, Elijah H.Douglas 

Tanner, Mitchell ....Nicholls 

Tanner, Samuel .Axson 

Taplye, Sephus.Ambrose 

Taylor, Aud A....West Green 
Taylor, Bennie (col.) .Broxton 

Taylor, C. (col.).Nicholls 

Taylor, Charlie.Nicholls 

Taylor, Henry .Nicholls 

Teston, Millie .Nicholls 

Teston, Thad .Nicholls 

Teston, Willie .Nicholls 

Teston, Jesse .Nicholls 

Terrell, Ruel .Douglas 

Therrell, James R....Broxton 
Thorne, Grover (col.) .Douglas 
Thorne, James (col.) .Douglas 
Thigpen, William M..Nicholls 

Thomas, Elmo .Nicholls 

Thomas, Henry (col.) .Douglas 


Thomas, Isiah (col.) .Douglas 
Thomas, J., Jr. (col.) .Douglas 

Thomas, Snow H.Nicholls 

Thompson, W. F.Douglas 

Tillman, Claude A....Pearson 
Tillmon, O. (col.). . . .Douglas 
Toole, J. W. (col.).. .Douglas 
Toombs, E. (col.).. . .Douglas 
Touchton, George D..Douglas 
Townsel, H. (col.). . .Broxton 

Toombs, Emery .Axson 

Todd, John T.Douglas 

Trapnell, Barney L...Douglas 
Traynham, James G..Broxton 
Trowell, Leonard ...Ambrose 

Trowell, Oliver .Ambrose 

Turner, Leonard W.. Nicholls 
Vickers, Cornelius ...Douglas 
Vickers, Homer .....Douglas 

Vickers, John R.Nicholls 

Vickers, Michael.Douglas 

Vinson, Roy G.Nicholls 

Waddell, H. (col.)... Broxton 


Walker, Fachion. . West Green 


Walker, Frank (col.) .Douglas 
Walker, M. T. (col.) .Douglas 
Walker, T. J. (col.). .Douglas 

Wall, John A.Axson 

Wallace, Edd (col.) . .Douglas 
Walton, Joe (col.) ... Broxton 
Ward, Warren P., Jr..Douglas 

Ware, A. (col.).Douglas 

Washington, J. H. 

(col.) .Nicholls 

Weitman, Glenn C....Douglas 

Weathers, T. A.Ambrose 

Wells, Bennie J.Broxton 

Wesley, Frank G.. .Douglas 


Whelchel, Garnett W..Douglas 
Whelchel, Hugh C....Douglas 








































Ward’s History of Coffee County 341 


White, John L.Nieholls 

Whitehead, Eli (col.) .Broxton 
Whitley, Charles ....Nieholls 
Wilds, Edward M....Douglas 

Wilds, John F.Axson 

Wilkerson, R. (col.) . .Broxton 
Wilcox, App (col.) .. .Douglas 
Wilcox, D. (col.)... .Ambrose 
Williams, C. (col.) . . . .Broxton 
Williams, Ed (col.) .. .Douglas 
Williams, Elias ......Nieholls 

Williams, G. (col.) .. .Douglas 
Williams, J. (col.) .. .Douglas 
Williams, John (col.) .Broxton 
Williams, Lewis F....Douglas 

Williams, L. (col.) ... .Upton 

Williams, Oliver .Axson 

William, P. (col.). . . .Douglas 

Wilson, Allen .Douglas 

Wilson, Ellie (col.) . .Broxton 
Wilson, Henry (col.) .Douglas 


Wilson, James F.Douglas 

Wilson, Jeff (col.) .. .Douglas 
Wilson, Moses (col.) .Nieholls 
Wilson, Ottis Otto.. .Douglas 
Wilson, Preston ....Ambrose 

Wilson, R. (col.).Douglas 

Worth, Daniel D.Douglas 

Wood, Daniel S.Douglas 

Worthy, King D..West Green 

Wright, R. (col.).Douglas 

Wright, W. (col.).West Green 

Yancy, J. (col.).Douglas 

Yarberry, Theodore. .Ambrose 
Yoemans, Kyler ....Ambrose 

Young, John .Broxton 

Young, Willie J.Broxton 

Young, William S... .Nieholls 

Young, Wykie.Broxton 

Youngblood, Aeey . . .Douglas 
Youngblood, J. L... .Nieholls 
Youngblood, Willie ..Nieholls 


Among the first to volunteer from Coffee County were: 
Howard W. Stanton, W. P. Ward, Jr., J. E. Relihan, J. E. 
Scliumpert, R. W. Terrell and J. H. McColskey. They enlisted 
with the 7th Engineers, which was later changed to the 17th 
Engineers, the only regiment of Engineers in militant division 
equipped with rifles. Howard W. Stanton and W. P. Ward, 
Jr., served in France eighteen months. 

Deceased 


Baisden, Bryant ....Ambrose 

Chancey, Oler .Ambrose 

Cowart, Riley J.... McDonald 
Edwards, J. (col.).. .Broxton 

Crutchfield, W. C.Nieholls 

Gaskins, Joe F.Douglas 


Johnson, F., Jr. (col.) .Douglas 
Pearsall, T. (col.).. .Nieholls 
Shepherd, J. A...West Green 

Taylor, Rand .Douglas 

Turner, A. W.'..Nieholls 

Vaughn, Jesse J.Broxton 


Officers 


Brown, Adolphus H...Douglas 

Burns, Gordon.Douglas 

Clark, Thomas H.Douglas 

Coleman, A. S. M....Douglas 


Hall, Warren Lee.... Nieholls 
McLean, James E....Douglas 

Naab, Henry .Douglas 

Newber, Jefferson L..Broxton 























342 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 


Pafford, Jefferson L..Nicholls 
Sibbett, William A...Douglas 

Smith, John Roy.Douglas 

Stubbs, S. J., Jr.Douglas 

Siddeth, Jewel J.Broxton 


Tanner, Elijah H.Douglas 

Touchton, George L...Douglas 

Ward, John P.Douglas 

Whelchel, Emmett Y..Douglas 
Yeomans, Ralph N...Douglas 


Navy 

Bailey, Louie M.Douglas Hughes, Lewis W....Douglas 

Barnes, Ashley P.Douglas Hunt, Joseph J.Douglas 

Brown, Carl Hardy.. .Douglas Johnson, Doctor T....Douglas 

Canady, John F.Nicholls Johnson, Homer A....Douglas 

Canon, Jake .Broxton Kirkland, Daniel ....Douglas 

Carter, Addison W...Nicholls Kirkland, Fisher L...Nicholls 

Carter, Ira.Nicholls Kirkland, Richard C..Nicholls 

Cato, Scott .Douglas Lott, Daniel D.Douglas 

Cole, Gordon .Nicholls McKinnon, Virgil ...Pearson 

Conner, Genevie .Douglas McLane, John M.Douglas 

Currie, Fletcher T....Douglas Moore, Jesse C.Douglas 

Daley, Herman W.. . .Bushnell Nixon, Jesse .Broxton 

Day, John Josh.Douglas Pearsall, Robert M...Douglas 

Day, Robert Valpo... Douglas Shaw, Thomas W.Douglas 

Davis, Roderick S... . Douglas Sims, James H.Douglas 

Dent, Marion Lester. .Douglas Sims, Raymond T.... Douglas 

Dubose, John Lester. .Douglas Slappey, Hammond ..Broxton 

Edenfield, David ....Nicholls Stalnaker, Sebron C..Broxton 

Edenfield, Homer ....Nicholls Suddath, Carl Zack.. .Broxton 

Gillis, Homer D.Axson Suddath, Foy N.Broxton 

Green, John.Nicholls Tanner, Amos G.Nicholls 

Green, Willie .Nicholls Terrell, William B....Douglas 

Griffin, Burney E.Douglas Teston, John D.Nicholls 

Griffin, Ralph W.Douglas Tomlinson, Frank M..Douglas 

Hancock, Edd M.Douglas Upton, Thomas H....Douglas 

Harrell, Randall H... .Douglas Vickers, Cleon .......Douglas 

Hays, Ealey .Nicholls Vickers, Harry B....Ambrose 

Hayes, Gaines E.Douglas Vickers, Johnny J....Douglas 

Higgs, Frank G.Douglas Vickers, Micajah J...Douglas 

Howard, George P....Douglas Wilson, Franklin F...Douglas 

Hubert, Wiley C.Douglas Zachary, John Key. .Nicholls 

Deceased 

Carter, Carl .Nicholls Lewis, Claude A.Douglas 


































Ward’s History of Coffee County 


List of Coffee County Officers 
Dating From 1 854 


Date 

Elected Name 

1854 B. H. Tanner 
Whittington Moore 
Whittington Moore 
Thomas Mobley 
John W. Machet 
James R. Smith 
- Carver 

Sim Parker 

1855 James R. Smith 
Timothy Fussell 

1856 James McKinnon 
Edward Ashley 
Edward Ashley 
Timothy Fussell 
James R. Smith 
Benjamin H. Sturges 
Archibald McLean 

1857 Timothy Fussell 
James R. Smith 

1858 Mark Wilcox 
James K. Hilliard 
James K. Hilliard 
Green Gill 
Timothy Fussell 
David Kirkland 
Daniel Morrison 

1859 Timothy Fussell 
James W. Overstreet 
Benajah Pearson 

1861 A. McLean 

James K. Hilliard 
James K. Hilliard 
James Pearson 
John I. Pickren 


Office 

Sheriff 

Clerk Superior Court 

Clerk Inferior Court 

Ordinary 

Tax Receiver 

Tax Collector 

Surveyor 

Coroner 

Tax Collector 

Tax Receiver 

Sheriff 

Clerk Superior Court 
Clerk Inferior Court 
Tax Receiver 
Tax Collector 
Surveyor 
Ordinary 
Tax Receiver 
Tax Collector 
Sheriff 

Clerk Superior Court 

Clerk Inferior Court 

Coroner 

Tax Receiver 

Tax Collector 

Surveyor 

Tax Receiver 

Tax Collector 

Treasurer 

Ordinary 

Clerk Superior Court 
Clerk Inferior Court 
Sheriff 

Tax Receiver 



344 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


Date 

Elected Name 

Alfred A. Smith 
Daniel Morrison 
John T. Minix 
1862 James K. Hilliard 
James K. Hilliard 
J. A. Spivey 
B. H. Sturges 
Benajah Pearson 
A. A. Smith 
Joel Wilcox 
Timothy Fussell 
Timothy Fnssell 
1864 D. Lott 

M. Daniel 
Timothy Fussell 
J. M. Ashlang 

A. Lott 

E. Pickren 
D. Anderson 
J. Ellis 
G. W. Smith 
W. Byrd 
1866 John Hill 

John J. Smith 
John J. Smith 
L. B. Daniels 
George W. Smith 
John J. Pickren 
Alfred A. Smith 
1868 L. P. Gaskin 
J. Denton 
J. C. Wilson 

B. H. Sturgis 
J. Anderson 

W. B. Overstreet 

1870 Louis C. Wilcox 

1871 James M. Denton 
Simon P. Gaskin 


Office 

Tax Collector 

Surveyor 

Coroner 

Clerk Superior Court 

Clerk Inferior Court 

Sheriff 

Surveyor 

Treasurer 

Tax Receiver and Collector 
Tax Receiver and Collector 
Clerk Superior Court 
Clerk Inferior Court 
Ordinary 
Sheriff 

Clerk Superior Court 

Clerk Inferior Court 

Tax Receiver 

Tax Collector 

Coroner 

Surveyor 

Treasurer 

Coroner 

Sheriff 

Clerk Superior Court 

Clerk Inferior Court 

Surveyor 

Treasurer 

Tax Receiver 

Tax Collector 

Clerk Superior Court 

Sheriff 

Tax Receiver 

Surveyor 

Coroner 

Tax Collector 

Ordinary 

Sheriff 

Clerk Superior Court 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 


Date 

Elected Name 

Daniel Gaskin 
Henry L. Paulk 
Benajah Pearson 
Tharpe Bailey 
Benjamin Minchew 
1873 Timothy Fussell 
Simon P. Gaskin 
Riley Wright 
Jesse Lott 
Henry L. Paulk 
Vincent Ricketson 
Tharpe Bailey 
Benjamin Minchew 
1875 Riley Wright 

Thomas N. Cady 
John J. Pickren 
Daniel Gaskin 
Vincent Ricketson 
Tharpe Bailey 
Henry Love 
1877 Thomas Young 
Riley Wright 
Jonathan Jowers 
Daniel Newbern 
Daniel Lott 
Vincent Ricketson 
Hiram Ellis 
Joseph Ward 
W. H. Love 
1879 C. A. Ward 

James Stevens 
John Tucker 
Allen Carver 
Vincent Ricketson 
Hiram Ellis 
Joseph Ward 
A. H. Ennis 
1881 Elijah Paulk 


Office 

Tax Receiver 

Tax Collector 

Treasurer 

Surveyor 

Coroner 

Ordinary 

Clerk Superior Court 
Sheriff 

Tax Receiver 
Tax Collector 
Treasurer 
Surveyor 
Coroner 

Clerk Superior Court 
Sheriff 

Tax Receiver 

Tax Collector 

Treasurer 

Surveyor 

Coroner 

Ordinary 

Clerk Superior Court 
Sheriff 

Tax Receiver 
Tax Collector 
Treasurer 
Surveyor 
Coroner 

Clerk Superior Court 
Clerk Superior Court 
Sheriff 

Tax Receiver 

Tax Collector 

Treasurer 

Surveyor 

Coroner 

Sheriff 

Ordinary 


346 


Ward’s Histoky of Coffee County 


Date 

Elected Name 

Calvin A. Ward 

A. H. Ennis 
John Tucker 

B. W. Douglas 
Vincent Ricketson 
David Summerlin 
Byril Merritt 

1882 Manning Peterson 

1883 C. A. Ward 
Manning Peterson 
John Eussell 

B. W. Douglas 
Elias Roberts 
James Gillis 
Henry Love 

1885 Elijah Paulk 

C. A. Gaskin 
John H. Hall 
B. W. Douglas 
David Summerlin 
Elias Roberts 

J. S. Heriot 
Matthew Royal 
1887 J. J. Lott 
J. H. Hall 
T. P. O’Neal 
J. J. Carver 
Elias Roberts 
Mark Lott 
Elias Batten 
1889 H. L. Paulk 
Giles J. Lott 
William Tanner 
David Summerlin 
B. W. Douglas 
Richard Kirkland 
James C. Gillis 
Burwell Merritt 


Office 

Clerk Superior Court 
Sheriff 

Tax Receiver 

Tax Collector 

Treasurer 

Surveyor 

Coroner 

Sheriff 

Clerk Superior Court 
Sheriff 

Tax Receiver 

Tax Collector 

Treasurer 

Surveyor 

Coroner 

Ordinary 

Clerk Superior Court 
Sheriff 

Tax Collector 
Tax Receiver 
Treasurer 
Surveyor 
Coroner 

Clerk Superior Court 
Sheriff 

Tax Receiver 

Tax Collector 

Treasurer 

Surveyor 

Coroner 

Ordinary 

Clerk Superior Court 
Sheriff 

Tax Receiver 
Tax Collector 
Treasurer 
Surveyor 
Coroner 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 


Date 

Elected Name 
1891 J. J. Lott 

W. M. Tanner 
J. W. Roberts 
J. J. Meeks 
Vincent Ricketson 
J. W. Solomon 
George Chaney 
1893 John Vickers 
Giles J. Lott 
W. A. J. Smith 
Thomas Daniel 
B. W. Douglas 
Vincent Ricketson 
Tharpe Bailey 
William Hutto 
1895 D. W. Gaskin 
W. M. Tanner 
M. E. Vickers 
B. W. Douglas 
R. G. Kirkland 
Tharpe Bailey 
W. F. Liedfelt 
1897 Thomas J. Young 
D. W. Gaskin 
William Tanner 
Dennis Vickers 
T. L. Paulk 
R. G. Kirkland 
Tharpe Bailey 
H. M. Teston 
1899 D. W. Gaskin 

William Tanner 
W. B. Courson 
T. L. Paulk 
William Vickers 
D. J. Pearson 
G. M. Ricketson 
1901 Thomas Young 


Office 

Clerk Superior Court 
Sheriff 

Tax Receiver 

Tax Collector 

Treasurer 

Surveyor 

Coroner 

Ordinary 

Clerk Superior Court 
Sheriff 

Tax Receiver 
Tax Collector 
Treasurer 
Surveyor 
Coroner 

Clerk Superior Court 
Sheriff 

Tax Receiver 

Tax Collector 

Treasurer 

Surveyor 

Coroner 

Ordinary 

Clerk Superior Court 
Sheriff 

Tax Receiver 
Tax Collector 
Treasurer 
Surveyor 
Coroner 

Clerk Superior Court 
Sheriff 

Tax Receiver 

Tax Collector 

Treasurer 

Surveyor 

Coroner 

Ordinary 


348 Ward's History of Coffee County 


Date 

Elected Name 

D. W. Gaskin 
W. W. Southerland 
M. Paulk 
Thomas Daniel 
H. Sears 
J. C. Gillis 
Dr. William Carter 
1902 D. W. Gaskin 

W. W. Southerland 
D. S. Wall 
T. T. Tanner 
Hamilton Sears, Sr. 
G. L. Miller 
William Vickers 
1904 W. P. Ward 

D. W. Gaskin 
W. W. Southerland 
C. W. Corbett 
§W. L. Kirkland 
W. M. Vickers 
W. B. Mills 
Eugene Merrier 
1906 Sessions Fales 
J. R. Overman 
David Ricketson 
Daniel Vickers 
Ben Morris 
J. T. Relihan 
G. L. Miller 
Eugene Merrier 
1908 W. P. Ward 

J. R. Overman 
David Ricketson 

C. D. Kirkland 
Solomon Sears 
Richard Vickers 

D. M. Douglas 


Office 

Clerk Superior Court 
Sheriff 

Tax Receiver 
Tax Collector 
Treasurer 
Surveyor 
Coroner 

Clerk Superior Court 
Sheriff 

Tax Receiver 

Tax Collector 

Treasurer 

Surveyor 

Coroner 

Ordinary 

Clerk Superior Court 
Sheriff 

Tax Receiver 
Tax Collector 
Treasurer 
Surveyor 
Coroner 

Clerk Superior Court 
Clerk Superior Court 
Sheriff 

Tax Receiver 

Tax Collector 

Treasurer 

Surveyor 

Coroner 

Ordinary 

Clerk Superior Court 
Sheriff 

Tax Receiver 
Tax Collector 
Treasurer 
Surveyor 


|E. M. Paulk, first elected—died. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 


Date 

Elected Name 

W. B. Adams 
1910 J. R. Overman 

David Ricketson 

B. W. Tanner 
Daniel Vickers 
J. T. Relihan 

B. M. Douglas 
E. Smith 

1912 W. P. Ward 

J. R. Overman 
J. C. Gillis 

D. S. Wall 
Daniel Moore 
W. L. Kirkland 

C. B. Porter 
G. L. Sims 

1913 George W. Right 

1914 A. W. Haddock 
Dan Wall 
David Ricketson 
Lige S. Sapp 
Dan Vickers 
Tim Tanner 
George W. Right 
G. L. Sims 

1916 W. P. Ward 

A. W. Haddock 
W. M. Tanner 

E. S. Sapp 
Ben Morris 
J. A. Crosby 
G. L. Sims 

1920 W. P. Ward 

Sessions Fales 
W. M. Tanner 
John R. Vickers 
Willis Newbern 

D. H. Peterson 


Office 

Coroner 

Clerk Superior Court 
Sheriff 

Tax Receiver 

Tax Collector 

Treasurer 

Surveyor 

Coroner 

Ordinary 

Clerk Superior Court 
Sheriff 

Tax Receiver 

Tax Collector 

Treasurer 

Surveyor 

Coroner 

Surveyor 

Clerk Superior Court 
Clerk Superior Court 
Sheriff 

Tax Receiver 

Tax Collector 

Treasurer 

Surveyor 

Coroner 

Ordinary 

Clerk Superior Court 
Sheriff 

Tax Receiver 
Tax Collector 
Surveyor 
Coroner 
Ordinary 

Clerk Superior Court 
Sheriff 

Tax Receiver 
Tax Collector 
Surveyor 


350 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


Date 


Elected Name 

Office 


G. L. Sims 

Coroner 


George W. Kight 

Surveyor 

1924 

Ivy W. Bryant 

Surveyor 


W. P. Ward 

Ordinary 


Sessions Fales 

Clerk Superior Court 


William Tanner 

Sheriff 


J. M. Lott 

Tax Receiver 


G. L. Sims 

Tax Collector 


S. H. Christopher 

Surveyor 


W. W. Southerland 

Coroner 

1926 

Cleon Fales 

Clerk Superior Court 

1928 

H. F. Brown 

Tax Collector 


W. P. Ward 

Ordinary 


Cleon Fales 

Clerk Superior Court 


R. C. Relihan 

Sheriff 


J. M. Lott 

Tax Receiver 


Noah Burkett 

Tax Collector 


D. H. Peterson 

Surveyor 


W. W. Southerland 

Coroner 


COFFEE COUNTY (Created February 9, 1854) 

Placed in Southern Circuit, February 9, 1854. Acts 1853-54, 
p. 294. 

Placed in Brunswick Circuit, February 8, 1856. Acts 1855-56, 
p. 215. 

Placed in Alapaha Circuit, October 17, 1870. Acts 1870, 
p. 37. 

Changed from Alapaha to Brunswick Circuit, December 4, 
1871. Acts 1871-72, p. 31. 

Changed from Brunswick to Waycross Circuit, January 1, 
1910. Acts 1910, p. 94. 

SOLICITORS GENERAL 
Southern Circuit 

John S. Winn, February 1st, 1854-November 10th, 1855. 

Edward T. Sheftall, November 10th, 1855 - October, 1859, 
resigned. 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 351 


Brunswick Circuit 

William H. Dasher, February 9th, 1856; October 5th, 1857; 
October 7th, 1861; October 1st, 1865. 

Joseph S. Wiggins, October 1st, 1865; July 21st, 1868.. 
(Vacant by change in government.) 

Peter Bedford, October 3rd, 1868. (Term from July 21st,. 
1868.) 

Isaac W. Christian, September 1st, 1869-January 19th, 1870. 

Alapaha Circuit (Abolished December 4th, 1871). 

Andrew J. Liles, November 29th, 1870-December 4th, 1871. 

Brunswick Circuit 

Simon W. Hitch, January 19th, 1872-January 1st, 1873;. 
January 1st, 1877-January 1st, 1881. 

George B. Mabry, January 1st, 1881-January 1st, 1885. 

J. L. Carter, January 1st, 1885-1889. 

William Gordon Brantley, January 1st, 1889-January 1st,, 
1893-September 1st, 1896, resigned. 

William M. Toomer, September 1st, 1896-January 1st, 1897. 
John William Bennett, January 1st, 1897; January 1st, 1901;. 
January 1st, 1905; January 1st, 1909. 

E. Lawton Walker, January 1st, 1909; died 1909. 

Joseph Henry Thomas, February 6th, 1909; January 1st,, 
1911; January 1st, 1913; January 1st, 1917. 

Way cross Circuit 

Marcus David Dickerson, October 5th, 1910 (App. term from 
January 1st, 1910; qual. December 17th, 1910); January 1st, 
1915; January 1st, 1919. 

Allen B. Spence, January 1st, 1919; January 1st, 1923; Janu¬ 
ary 1st, 1927 to date. 

JUDGES 

Peter Early Love, Judge of the Superior Courts in the South¬ 
ern Circuit, November, 1852, to October, 1859. 

Judges of the Brunswick Circuit 

Arthur Erwin Cochren, from February, 1856, to January,, 
1860. 

William Moultrie Sessions, from January, 1860, to 1864. 
Arthur Erwin Cochren, from January 10th, 1864, to 1865. 


352 Ward’s History of Coffee County 


William Moultrie Sessions, from September, 1865, to January, 
1873. 

John W. O’Neal, from November, 1870, to 1871. 

John L. Harris, from January, 1873, to January, 1879. 

Martin T. Merslion, from May, 1879, to October, 1886. 
Courtland Symns, from November, 1886, to January, 1887. 
Spensor Rome Atkinson, from January 1st, 1887, to April, 
1892. 

Joel L. Sweat, from April, 1892, to January, 1899. 

Joseph William Bennett, from January, 1889, to July, 1902. 
Francis Willis Dart, from January 1st, 1902, to January 1st, 
1903. 

Thomas Augustus Parker, from January, 1903, to January, 
1910. 

The Waycross Circuit 

Thomas Augustus Parker, from January, 1910, to January, 
1914. 

J. W. Quincey, from January, 1914, to January, 1915. 

J. I. Summerall, from January, 1915, to January, 1924. 

Harry Day Reid, from December, 1924, to February, 1928. 

J. Dorcey Blalock, from February, 1928, to January, 1929. 
Marcus David Dickerson, from January, 1929, to date. 

SENATORS 
Coffee County 

1855-56 Mark Lott 1857-58 Matt Ashley 

1859-60 Mark Lott 

Note: Coffee County was placed in the Fifth Senatorial Dis¬ 
trict by an ordinance of the Constitutional Convention of 
1861. (Confederate Records of Georgia, vol. 1, p. 727.) 


Fifth Senatorial District 


1861-63 

Thomas Hilliard 

1877 

George W. Newbern 

1863-65 

Rowan Pafford 

1878-79 

William Bardin Folks 

1865-66 

B. B. Pedford 

1880-81 

C. A. Smith 

1868-70 

Newsom Corbitt 

1882-83 

Wm. A. McDonald 

1871-72 

M. Kirkland 


(Rev.) 

1873-74 

M. Kirkland 

1884-85 

J. M. Wilcox (Rev.) 

1875-76 

George W. Newbern 

1886-87 

Franklin B. Sirmans 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 353 


1888-89 Frank Y. Folks 
1890-91 J. W. Boyd 
1892-93 Franklin B. Sirmans 
1894-95 Leon A. Wilson 
1896-97 Jeff. Wilcox, M.D. 
1898-99 Robert G. Dickerson 
1900-01 Lemuel Johnson 
1902-04 Frank L. Sweat 


1905-06 Franklin B. Sirmans 
1907-08 George W. Deen 
1909-10 Calvin A. Ward, II. 
1911-12 Walter T. Dickerson 
1913-14 Joel L. Sweat 
1915-16 Calvin Augustus 
Ward 

1917-18 Robert G. Dickerson 


Note: By a constitutional amendment approved in 1918 seven 
additional senatorial districts were created. Coffee was placed 
in the Fourth District (Acts 1918, p. 84). 


Forty-Sixth District 

1919-20 John K. Larkins 1925-26 Samuel F. Memory 

1921-22 George W. Taylor 1927 Walter Bennett 

1923-24 E. L. Grantham 1929 J. C. Brewer 

Under an act approved December 23rd, 1843 (Acts 1843, pp. 
17-19) the state was divided into forty-seven senatorial dis¬ 
tricts. Up to this time each county was entitled to one 
senator. See Georgia’s Official Register, 1927, p. 446. 

On January 19th, 1852, a constitutional amendment was 
adopted providing a return to the former basis of repre¬ 
sentation, viz., one senator from each county, chosen biennially 
by the electors thereof. (Acts 1851-52, p. 48.) See Georgia’s 
Official Register, 1927, p. 470. 

In 1859, the State Senate contained 132 members. . . . 

Governor Brown, in his annual message to the Legislature dated 
November 3rd, 1859, recommended a reduction of membership. 
. . . Governor Brown recommended only 33 Senatorial Dis¬ 
tricts. However, it was deemed best to create 44. . . . 

A constitutional amendment, approved in 1918, added seven 
new districts, bringing the total to 51, which is the number at 
present. See Georgia’s Official Register, 1927, p. 480. 


COFFEE COUNTY REPRESENTATIVES 


1855-56 Rowan Pafford 
1857-58 John P. Wall 
1859-60 James R. Smith 
1861-63 Elisha Lott 


1863-65 Elisha Lott 
1865-66 John P. Wall 
1868-70 James R. Smith 
1871-72 John M. Spence 


354 


Ward’s History of Coffee County 


1873-74 

John Lott 

1900-01 

Arthur Lott 

1875-76 

J. M. Wilcox 

1902-04 

T. L. Paulk 

1877 

James Pearson 

1905-06 

C. A. Ward 

1878-79 

S. D. Phillips 

1907-08 

C. A. Ward 

1880-81 

William Gaskin 

1909-10 

J. I. Hatifield 

1882-83 

Dennis Paulk 

1911-12 

Elias Lott, Sr. 

1884-85 

Arthur Lott 

1913-14 

C. E. Stewart 

1886-87 

William Vickers 

1915-16 

C. E. Stewart 

1888-89 

Elijah Tanner 

1917-18 

C. E. Stewart 

1890-91 

Thomas P. O’Neal 

1919-20 

J. W. Quincey 

1892-93 

Jeff Wilcox 

1921-22 

J. W. Quincey 

1894-95 

John Fussell 

1923-24 

Daniel H. Meeks 

1896-97 

1898 

Daniel Lott 

1925-26 

1927-28 

George M. Ricketson 
J. M. Thrash 

1899 

Elijah Tanner 

1929-30 

J. M. Thrash 






























































